Dumbledore's New Army
by Lady Irish Rose
Summary: After defeating the First, the Slayers are pulled into a new battle against a dark wizard called Voldemort. They join forces with Harry Potter and OotP and form an army of Slayers. FIRST INCOMPLETE DRAFT
1. Chapter One

I know you all have seen lots of HP/BTVS fanfics but I couldn't help myself. I'll try to make mine as unique as possible. Post-Season 7 of BTVS and Book 5 of HP.

**Disclaimer: **All characters, plot concepts, ideas, etc. of BTVS belong to Joss Whedon. All characters, plot concepts, ideas, etc. of HP belong to J.K. Rowling. The plot in this story is mine and some characters are mine. I don't feel like listing them. I'm pretty sure you can guess.

**IMPORTANT A/N for NEW READERS: **Please note that the many grammatical, comma, spelling, etc. errors are being rectified as much as possible at the moment throughout the first twenty or so chapters and probably beyond that. It's amazing what an English teacher who actually teaches can do.

* * *

What was once known as the town called Sunnydale was now nothing more than a gaping crater in the ground. Everything that once had been was now destroyed and buried under the myriad of rubble and dust. The infamous hellmouth had finally been put out of business. A yellow bus was the only vehicle to have come from the direction of Sunnydale. Everyone else had left months ago. 

The younger sister of the _eldest_ slayer sighed as she got bored with staring at the late afternoon desert and made her way to where one of the potential-turned-slayers, Jordan Firewell, sat. Dawn had been helping Buffy, Xander, Willow, Faith, and anyone else who wasn't seriously wounded help those that _were _seriously wounded. They had done all they could with their limited medical supplies. All they could do now was hope the girls and Robin could hang on until they got to the nearest hospital in Los Angeles.

The tall brunette cringed when she saw the state of the girl she had befriended several months ago and had become quite close to. Jordan's once beige colored jacket was now torn and covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. Her tight jeans were ripped beyond repair in many places and had numerous bloodstains. Rivulets of the sticky crimson liquid that had long since dried had run down her face from deep scratches. Blood from her three stab wounds and the chunk taken out of her shoulder was still leaking through the bandages. She was leaning against the window and Dawn could see that her eyes were closed.

"Jordan? Can you hear me?" Dawn asked anxiously. She felt her heart stop beating for a moment for fear her friend was dead.

An eyelid cracked open and Jordan turned her head to see who had spoken.

"Huh?" she said groggily.

"Oh thank God. I thought you were...." she let the sentence hang there for Jordan knew well what Dawn had thought.

"Oh, Dawn. Sorry to scare you. I'm just.....um.....a little out of it. Blood loss you know," Jordan replied.

"S'okay. Mind if I sit down?" Dawn asked.

"Knock yourself out," the auburn-haired slayer replied as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "On second thought, don't do that, your sister will freak."

Jordan smiled tiredly at the girl she had come to think of a as a sister. She had been her only friend for a while during her stay in Sunnydale. Everyone else thought she was just a little bit too peculiar. Jordan couldn't blame them, considering that she was even more unique than just being a potential.

She had the feeling that Dawn was like her too, but she couldn't be sure. Maybe the hellmouth had interfered with her signal to the Wizarding World. Wands were almost completely useless around hellmouths. The supreme darkness emanating up from a hellmouth, the sheer amount of dark, natural magic intefered with a witch or wizard's brand of magic. The Bermuda Triangle, being comprised of an entire chain of hellmouths, contained so much dark magic that wands did not work at all. Sunnydale had been almost as bad.

Jordan was one of those rare witches that also happened to have the potential for becoming a slayer within her. It was quite a rarity, according to the Watchers Council, for someone with magic already inher blood to receive the fabled essence of the Slayer. Due to slayers having been created by Wiccan magic (earth magic utilized by certain Muggles), most slayers were Muggles.

Therefore, Jordan had doubted she would ever become the Chosen One. That was just fine with her since she had no desire to carry such a burden on her shoulders and die before reaching eighteen. She especially did not wish to die in the many brutal ways she had heard her predecessors had perished. But now, she was a slayer, along with hundreds, perhaps thousands of other girls.

It was all thanks to the Wicca, Willow, who performed an awakening spell using the mystical scythe Buffy had retrieved in the vineyard right out of the vile preacher, Caleb's, hands. Jordan could not even express how relieved she was that she would not be the only one to shoulder the dismal destiny of the Slayer. Her twin brother, Aidan, whom had always been wary of her potential fate would be thrilled with this as well.

It hadn't been easy hiding her true identity over the course of her stay with the Summers. Mr. Giles, Buffy's watcher, was the only one who knew of her special background and had promised to help her if she had any trouble with Muggle ways. Luckily, Jordan had been well adept at the alternatives to magic having taken many classes on them. She found the wandless world fascinating and thought the non-magic people quite clever to have adapted to living without magic in so many ways.

"Nice to see you're still in one piece," Jordan noted. She had been a little worried about her friend fighting up on the surface. While she knew Dawn was an extraordinary fighter in her own right (after all, she grew up with one of the strongest slayers on record), the girl had no extraordinary powers like that of a slayer. It was an immense relief to see her virtually unharmed, unlike this young slayer.

"You too. Except you seem to have a few holes in you." Dawn shot her a relieved grin, but it was tinged with concern for Jordan's condition.

"Ah well. Nothing in this world's for free," she replied wryly. True, her wounds were quite agonizing and she had had problems handling the pain at first, but she had taken her potion and the pain had begun to dull a great deal.

"Amen to that," Dawn laughed.

"How's Buffy doing?" Jordan asked hesitantly.

Dawn had to think on that one. Physically, Buffy was fine, except for the wound in her stomach, but it didn't seem to bother her too much. Emotionally and mentally were another story. She had barely spoken at all after they had left Sunnydale and Dawn knew that a lot of what was weighing on her sister's mind was a certain bleach headed vampire with a soul. _No thinking about him yet. You don't want to start blubbering do you?_

"Is she all broken up over....him?" her friend ventured carefully.

"I don't know. She actually seems to be handling it pretty well. But then again she may not," Dawn said.

"How about you? I know you loved him like a brother," Jordan asked softly.

"I'm...dealing. Well, not with that yet. I'll do that later. I don't think I'm _ready_ to deal with it yet. Right now I am just trying to come to grips with all that has happened," Dawn confided to her.

The young witch nodded her head in sympathy. She didn't know what she would do if something happened to her brother. Aidan was like the brains of the operation that was the Firewell Twins. He kept her grounded and sane.

_Uh oh._ It had been over three weeks since she had last written her family. They were going to be a little peeved when she got home.

They knew all about her being a potential. They had known since she was eight. Her parents were both aurors and were shocked but very proud when they found out their daughter might become a Chosen One. Aidan, however, had been less than happy with the news. Well, less than happy a couple years later when he finally understood what a slayer was and had to do. The rest of the family continued to live in blissful denial about the many, many cons to being a slayer. Jordan was fine with that. Let them live in denial. It sure the hell beat reality.

But now she didn't have to worry about that because the power of the slayer had been unleashed in all the potentials in the world. They could form a whole freaking army if there was enough. _Kudos to Wicca girl. Sure takes a load off my mind and my brother will be happy._

"We're almost to the hospital. Are you okay?" Dawn asked.

Jordan's honey-colored eyes widened in alarm. _Oh crap!_ She had completely forgotten about the hospital for a moment. There was no way in hell she was going to allow herself to be "treated" in there. Maybe it all worked out fine for the Muggles, but she couldn't see how cutting people up and sticking needles in them helped them. She would sit on that bus and bleed to death before she was put into that torture facility again.

_Stupid Caleb. _The insane woman-hating preacher had put her in the hospital the first time around. If she had been conscious, she would have protested, but sadly one can't do much after she's been thrown across a room and collides with a wooden beam. If she had been a slayer at the time, she might have come out of that skirmish awake and kicking. Unfortunately, she had only been a potential slayer at the time and therefore subject to all the weaknesses of a normal human being.

Now that Jordan was a slayer, she was able to take more damage and she healed faster. She decided to speed up her healing by drinking the potion she had specially made before she came to Sunnydale. She had used her pet phoenix, Jinx's, healing tears along with some other rejuvenating ingredients.

That was the real reason for her drowsiness. She hadn't worked the kinks out of it yet and this was actually the first time she had tried it out. The only reason she did take it was because she was almost positive she had some internal bleeding. She didn't trust her skills enough with potion making to try it out on the other girls. Also, she didn't want them to start asking questions if they started healing up instantaneously. It did make her feel a little guilty to watch many of her comrades suffer needlessly from their wounds, but she knew she it was better this way.

"Uh yeah I'm fine. In fact, I don't think I'll be needing to go to the hospital," she assured Dawn a little too casually.

"You don't look so fine to me," Dawn remarked.

Jordan couldn't blame the girl for her skepticism, but she still wasn't going to a Muggle hospital. Nothing short of an apocalypse could make her walk back in there. Or a cute Croatian doctor like on that Muggle hospital show, ER.

"Oh well I feel all right." She yawned and leaned her head against the window. "Except I'm real tired. Wake me when we get there."

Dawn nodded and sat back. Her gaze settled on her friend from time to time to make sure she was still breathing. She was perplexed over Jordan's reaction to going to the hospital. Why did the girl seem so afraid?

Dawn halted the surge of questions probing about in her mind from coming to her mouth. She didn't want to disturb her friend's much needed rest just to satisfy her own curiosity. So she resolved herself to watching over her carefully as the bus continued its journey to Los Angeles.

* * *

The sun had barely shed its wan rays through the mistyfog that encased the Granger household. Most of the occupants weresafely tucked away in their beds, guarded by theprotective walls oftheir dreams. One occupant, however, was very awake and was pacing in her room at this very moment. 

Hermione Granger had been awoken by very strange dreams like nothing she had ever dreamtbefore. Her heart was still pounding from the dream-induced adrenaline and her skin was doused in a light sheen of sweat. She had started pacing her room in a frenzy of frustration after finding that she could not, try as she might, fall back asleep.

The clever young witch tried to figure out what it was that mad her feel so mysteriously different. It felt almost as if...somethign had been touched upon inside her; awakened after so many years of being buried within her. Her whole body seemed to tingle from this unseen malady. It wasn't a bad feeling. On the contrary, she felt better than she had in years. Like she had just figured out the most complicated jigsaw puzzle in the world. But the dreams...they had been so strange.

What she had dreamt of had been so bizarre, Hermione was not sure her memory was entirely accurate about it. To dream of so many girls, armed with swords, stakes, axes, and other dangerous weapons, fighting an entire army of monstrous creatures looking like they were constructed by some macabre machination, was not something Hermione Granger experienced. If anything, Harry was the one in her trio of friends who experienced the weird dreams. Why would she dream such events and experience the emotions triggered by such a dream that she was experiencing now? Her body shivered from remembering the horrific things that befell some of the girls and her own strange desire to join in the fighting.

The girl wracked her brain for explanations of the dream. She had had her fair share of mysteries and intricate puzzles in the past that it was coming to be evident that not much could get past her. This could have been a vision or it could have been something that already came to pass. It couldn't have taken place too long ago because all the girls had been dressed in present day clothing. _Come on, Hermione, you've heard of something like this before. Girls with stakes, axes, and swords. Why does that ring a bell?_

Then the proverbial light bulb finally made its presence known by shedding light on the question. _Vampire Slayer!_ That was the only thing that explained the amazing skill with which the girls fought and the strength they demonstrated. _But there is only supposed to be one, _Hermione thought with a frown creasing her brow.

She had learned about the Vampire Slayer in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She even remembered having the topic on an exam. _What does a girl first experience when she is chosen as a slayer?_ The question didn't seem all that important then. But now Hermione regarded that question in a new light.

She opened up her trunk where she kept all her school supplies and books and pulled out her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and flipped to the section on slayers. Her hands were shaking slightly as she tried to blot out the implications everything concerning her dreams being connected with the Vampire Slayer were trying to tell her. She was not yet ready to face those frightening revelations.

"Here it is," she mumbled to herself as she sat at her desk and switched on her lamp.

_**The Vampire Slayer**_

_Possibly one of the greatest enigmas in this world is the mystical being known as the Vampire Slayer or theChosen One, as some people like to call her. She is a human girl between the ages of fifteen and twenty that is gifted with strength beyond that of any human, as well assuperior fighting ability, quick reflexes, swift healing abilities, and heightened senses. _

_Her intended duty is as her title says, to fight vampires and demons or any other such foul creature that threatens the safety of humanity until her death. Naturally, the time between being called and the time of death are not that far apart. When one slayer dies, the essence of the Slayeris immediately passed on to another girl to replace her._

_The origin of the Slayer is clouded. Some say that she has existed as long as vampires have, others say she was created by a group of witches and wizards hundreds of years afterward. Sources indicate that it is, in fact, Wiccan (Muggle magic) magic that is responsible for the existence of the slayer. That may account for the fact that most slayers are Muggles, although there have been cases of witches being chosen, however rare they are._

_An organization known as the Watchers Council serves as the caretakers of the slayer legacy. Most are Muggles, but there are a few witches and wizards that are a part of it. All persons apart of the Council are made aware of the Wizarding World should a witch be chosen as the Slayer._

_Whenever a new slayer is called, the Council sends out a trained professional called a watcher to find the girl and train and prepare her for her destiny. Many watchers are assigned to "potential slayers" or girls who might become slayers. Preparing them before the calling has proved to increase their lifespan, but not by much._

_The most common "symptom" of being called as the Chosen One are the graphic and often frightening dreams of the foes she must face. Many slayers experience prophetic dreams during their lives that serve as another example of their power._

_There are still many questions about the Vampire Slayer that the Muggle and Wizarding world alike have failed to answer. One thing we know for certain is that the slayer carries a high and lonely destiny._

Hermione slammed the book shut and tried to stand up as fear unlike anything she had ever felt filled her. Her legs didn't seem to want to support her for the moment so she sat back down into her chair. She put a shaking hand to her forehead and tried to calm herself. _Come now, Hermione, don't lose your wits. I am sure there is an entirely logical explanation for those dreams and one that does not include you being a newly called slayer in anyway. You're a witch. Witches are rarely chosen as slayers._

_I wish I could ask someone about this._ She didn't want to talk to Ron about it because, well, this wasn't something in his area of expertise. She loved him, but he had the tendency to act irrationally when situations like these popped up. She would ask Harry because he would know what she might be going through and he also had experience with bad dreams. But she didn't want to bother him with this right now right after losing his godfather.

Her best friend's letters were brief and irregular, making Hermione want to waltz over to Privet Drive and demand to see him, but he needed his space. So, instead she started thinking, _What would Harry do? Of course! Write to Dumbledore! He'll know what to do._ She smacked herself in the head for not thinking of it sooner.

She began drafting a letter to Dumbledore on parchment asking of his advice and guidance. After she finished she tied it up and left it in her desk drawer to wait for one of her friends owls to deliver a letter. She knew they wouldn't mind her borrowing them for a little while.

Hermione glanced out of her bedroom window with a sigh. The sun was rising higher into the sky and she had barely slept three hours. But oddly enough, she didn't feel tired at all. She changed out of her nightclothes and resolved to postpone putting her slayer theory to the test after she received Dumbledore's reply. She wasn't normally one to procrastinate, but in situations like this allowances must be made.


	2. Chapter Two

Thanks Brutal2003, ManiacPlea, and becks89 for being my first reviewers. I thought it might be interesting to make Hermione a slayer. And don't worry the rest of the scooby gang will be in this fic. You didn't think I would forget them would you? Anyway I am working on the romantic pairings. I only know for sure that Hermione and Ron are gonna get together. They make such a cute couple. As for the others, well I am open to suggestions from readers.

* * *

The lobby of the Hyperion, so silent one moment, was now filled with the chattering voices of dozens of battle-weary teenaged girls. Now that the battle of the hellmouth was all over, they were succumbing to the flush and frenzy only victory can bring with a healthy dose of solemnity for their fallen comrades and the wounded in the hospital. 

Angel searched over his lobby to find a particular petite blonde. If his heart could beat, it would have been beating furiously in anxiousness over his former lover. He sighed in relief when he spotted the young woman he had been looking for. He immediately walked over to engulf her in a tight hug.

"Um, Angel, it's good to know that you're happy to see me, but one: I need to breathe, and two: I was sorta skewered in the stomach," she said as she patted him on the back.

"Oh, sorry. Are you okay?" he asked anxiously.

"I'll live. Right now I'm going the same track as I did when I blew up the school. Fire bad; tree pretty. Or I guess it would be like big huge crater bad; solid ground pretty. There wasn't much fire this time around," she quipped.

Wesley, Gunn, and Fred were helping the girls unload their weapons and were working on getting them rooms. All three of them were looking quite hassled at the amount of work they had to do when normally they didn't get much business at all.

"So do you want to tell me all that happened now or do you want to get some sleep?" Angel asked Buffy.

She sucked in some air and walked over to a couch in the lobby and sat down. Angel followed her, thinking that whatever news she was about to give him wouldn't be good judging by the sober expression upon her lovely face. It was sort of ironic that she sat upon the same couch Willow had been sitting on when she had come as the bearer of the news of Buffy's death.

"You should know, that amulet thing you gave me, Spike used it. He destroyed the hellmouth and pretty much saved the world." Her voice was carefully controlled, but Angel could sense the strong emotion behind it.

Angel then noticed that Captain Peroxide was not among the group. He glanced at the doors to the Hyperion and saw Willow walk through with her arms around Xander whose face carried the familiar signs of grief. He had a feeling Spike wasn't the reason for his pain.

Buffy answered his unasked question, "Anya's status has been moved from MIA to KIA. She died saving Andrew's life."

"Oh." He had no idea who Andrew was and only met Anya twice, therefore her death didn't cause him too much grief, but he felt sympathy for the guy just the same.

"We had gone down into the hellmouth and the First had a nice little army of Ubervamps for us. We fought them until the amulet started acting up and then hightailed it out of there. We lost a lot of girls in this fight. And Sunnydale is no longer on the map," she told him levelly.

"I don't understand. You took a bunch of potentials and had them fight against Turok-Hans? How did so many manage to survive? They don't-"

Buffy cut him off, "Didn't. They didn't have the power of the slayer, but now they do. Thanks to Willow and my wicked cool scythe that I King Arthured out of stone. She used it to activate all potentials."

It took a minute for that information to process in his brain. Was she telling him what he thought she was telling him?

"You mean every girl that could be a slayer is _now_ a slayer?" he asked incredulously.

"Yep, we changed the rules. And I like these much better than the ones those stupid men made up thousands of years ago," she muttered.

"Wow. So where is Faith? She made it through right?" he inquired worriedly.

"She's at the hospital with the wounded. She said she didn't mind sleeping in the waiting room. I, for one, am sick of them," she said.

"I'll get you a room and you can get some rest." He stood up and he and Buffy walked over to where Wesley was conversing with Giles and an auburn-haired girl with a black duffel bag slung over her shoulder he didn't know. They abruptly stopped their conversation when Angel and Buffy approached.

Buffy winced when she looked at Jordan. "Remind me again why I didn't make you go to the hospital?"

"Seriously Buffy, I'm fine. I think I could get used to being a slayer," Jordan replied.

Angel noticed that the girl was eyeing him with apprehension and a bit of intrigue. He began to feel nervous under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Angelus, the Scourge of Europe," she stated. "Pretty bad deal with the soul, eh? I mean, for you. Definitely not for us."

"How did you know?" Buffy asked in amazement.

"My watcher told me all about him and Dawn filled me in on the rest," Jordan said nonchalantly. "Oh, by the way, she told me to tell you that she already went to bed," she added.

Buffy was still staring at Jordan with a strange expression on her face. There was something really strange about this girl, but Buffy just couldn't put her finger on it. Then she shook her head.

"I'm going to bed. My brain is starting to fall asleep," she told them.

After Buffy left, Angel decided to head over to the hospital to check on Faith and the other girls. Wesley waited until Angel was out of earshot before he turned his attention back to Jordan.

"Now you need a room with a fireplace, am I correct? I don't know much about your world so why is it that the fireplace is important," he asked.

"I need it to floo to my family's manor. I promised them that I would go there as soon as this conflict was over. They probably already know about the hellmouth being reduced to a big sinkhole, which means I have to get to them pronto before they start freaking out," Jordan explained.

"Where do you live?" Wesley asked.

"Katsmorn, it's an all Wizard town in Montana. My family lives on the outskirts of it in the mountains," she told them.

"Yes, of course. Wesley and I will escort you to a room where you can use a fireplace." Giles took her by the arm and gestured for Wesley to lead the way.

Wesley led them to a medium sized room with a small fireplace. Jordan set her stuff down and appraised the thing with a frown.

"Jeez, that's it? I thought it'd be bigger," she remarked, wondering how she would fit.

"Do you need a fire to be lit?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah, let me get my floo powder out," She unzipped her bag and sorted through its contents until she pulled out a small box. "Here it is."

Wesley was able to get a small fire going and Jordan immediately opened the box and threw the powder onto the flames. The flames changed from orange to bright green much to Wesley and Giles' surprise.

"Remarkable," the two Englishmen commented simultaneously.

Jordan heard them and turned her head to them. "Okay, that was freaky." She then just dismissed it with a shrug and said,"I'll be back as soon as I can. You can humor Buffy and tell her I finally went to the hospital or whatever."

With her black duffel bag secured on her shoulder she stepped into the flames and the two men were shocked to see that she didn't get burned at all. She waved at them and uttered the words, "Firewell Manor, Katsmorn!" and then she was gone.

Wesley and Giles stood there, still as stones, in the middle of the room. Their eyes were wide with wonder.

"Em, can I get you a cup of tea, Rupert?" Wesley offered.

"Yes, thank you," Giles replied absently.

* * *

As luck would have it, Ron's owl, Pig, showed up only two hours after Hermione drafted the letter to Professor Dumbledore. He twittered about her room while she wrote a hasty response to Ron's letter, which was something about his brothers, Fred and George, trying out their products on the garden gnomes. 

She added that she had to borrow his owl to send a message off. She was very lax in the details of whom she was sending the message off to or what it contained. Knowing Ron, he would probably grumble and complain about her using his owl to send a letter off toViktor Krum. That boy could be awfully presumptuous at times.

Hermione managed to grab hold of Pig and tie the two letters on to his leg. It was a difficult feat normally, but she snatched him out of midair effortlessly and held him down just as easily. She did not allow herself to think too much on that.

"Now I want you to get to Professor Dumbledore first and then go to Ron," she instructed the tiny owl.

He hooted in response and flew out her window.

With that taken care of she went downstairs to get something to eat. Her parents had left earlier to go to work, leaving Hermione alone in the large house with her thoughts. Normally, being left alone with her thoughts didn't bother her. She often enjoyed it from time to time. There was nothing like curling up with a good book or getting a head start on schoolwork. But with her disturbing dreams from last night and the possibility that she just might be more than a witch was enough to make her head spin. Now she had to wait for what would probably be an agonizingly long time for Dumbledore's response.

"This is madness. I shall drive myself crazy if I don't do something to ease my mind," she said to herself.

_Why not put your little theory to the test? _A small voice in her head whispered slyly to her.

That actually would be a good idea, but she wasn't sure she really wanted to know the truth. Deep down she knew that she was the Slayer. After all, she was not the brightest girl in all of Hogwarts without something to show for it. After reading about the Chosen One and finding her symptoms matched accordingly, the truth was glaringly obvious. She could feel the strength coursing throughout her entire body. Her blood seemed to hum with the new power. It was just that she didn't want to face the truth.

All she wanted to do was just graduate from Hogwarts and get a decent job, possibly working to free house elves or something like that. Slaying demons and vampires wasn't exactly the most appealing occupation to her. And then there was that pesky little shortened life span that accompanied every slayer.

Oh sure, she had been placed in her fair share of dangerous situations, but it came with the territory of being friends with Harry Potter. She didn't want to go out and look for fights. And then there was Ron. Her face flushed whenever she thought of him and her blood would practically sing. Sweet, annoying, handsome, clueless Ron. Lately she had been getting some rather more than friendly feelings about him. If she was now the Slayer, a relationship would be almost impossible. She wouldn't have long to live and it could put him in danger.

_You don't even know if he feels the same way for you though. _Hermione sighed wistfully. Life just wasn't fair.

"Might as well get this over with," she muttered.

She began brainstorming different ways to prove to herself that she was the Slayer. She didn't think jumping off her balcony to see if she could withstand the impact without serious injury was a very good idea. That sounded like something a boy would do. So, she settled on testing the strength factor. She ventured outside and made her way to a stone bench that she knew took at least two men to lift. She stood before it, silently studying it with her sharp brown eyes while mentally preparing herself for what she was about to discover.

Hermione clapped her hands together and then gripped the bench. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath,and then wrenched it up into the air. It took a minute for it to sink it until she sat the thing back down. Then she sat on it and put her head between her knees. _I just lifted that stone bench all by myself. And it didn't even feel heavy!_ She just sat there in the same position to allow blood to rush back into her brain. After the bells stopped clanging she sat up and the same thought kept running through her head. _What happens next?_

* * *

I just wanted to add as a forewarning, I plan on getting rid of Kennedy because I _loathe_ her with a burning passion. Willow can do so much better. Sorry to those that like her. 


	3. Chapter Three

Thanks to **Prophetess Of Hearts**, **Red2**, **Fairy Dragon**, **KeeperoftheSnoopyDance** (really clever pen name by the way), **becks89**, and **ManiacPlea** for reviews.

No worries **Fairy Dragon**, being a gay-friendly person I had planned on keeping Willow gay. I hope to find a girlfriend for her that reminds us of Tara, because like you **becks89**, I thought she rocked and they made such a cute couple. sniffle I miss Tara. I won't bring her back from the dead though because I believe Willow has learned her lesson from bringing back Buffy and I believe she loves Tara too much to tear her away from her peaceful rest. It would be the noble thing to do. Now I just want to ask you guys, how should I get rid of Kennedy? Should I turn her evil or just into a jerk (which she already is but more so)? Input from you, my readers, would be greatly appreciated.

* * *

Buffy wearily trudged into the room she was sharing with her sister and collapsed onto one of the double beds. She looked over at the other bed and saw that her sister was sleeping soundly. She idly wondered how much accumulated sleep they had all gotten over the past few weeks. She was betting it wasn't very much. Such was the way of the Scoobies. 

She kicked off her shoes and snuggled under the covers. Despite how exhausted she was, sleep evaded her. Her last words to Spike had been "I love you," and his reply was anything but expected.

_No, you don't. But, thanks for saying it._

Perhaps she hadn't loved him in the way she had loved Angel. No one she had encountered yet had ever been able to match the febrile passion she had harbored once for her former lover. But Buffy had cared for Spike a great deal. He had proved to be a stalwart and true friend to her at her darkest moments. He had remained loyal to her and he had remained supportive when her friendsseemed to have lost faith in her ability to protect them.

She did love him, she decided. She loved him like she loved Xander, as a friend, comrade, and brother. That was all her love for Spike could ever amount to.

The pain his death caused her cut deeply and Buffy knew the pain would never truly dissipate. Neither would the pain of her mother's death, or Tara's death or Anya's death or all those innocent young girls that had been killed before and during the last battle.

_At least you all are in a better place now. You get to enjoy the peace that I had for a little while. You guys deserve that much._

On the bed next to her, her sister was having similar insomnia-inducing thoughts.

Dawn had been lying still under the covers on her bed, trying as hard as she could to quiet the loudness of her mind so she could sleep. She kept replaying the scenes from earlier today. The girl still remembered the sheer terror she had felt when she and Xander had been assailed by Turok-Hans and her heart still pounded with floating relief when they had burst into flames under the unforgiving rays of the sun. It was all over; Sunnydale and its multitude of evils were gone...hopefully, for good this time.

Yet, the feelings within her were bittersweet over the entire ordeal. She was glad to finally be delivered from the throes of evil, but she was saddened over the loss of the town that held all of her _real _memories. Sunnydale was technically the first place she had lived and it was where she found out who, or rather, what, she truly was.

Her mother's grave had resided in one of the numerous cemeteries. Her sister had died and risen from her coffin in that town. Dawn even experienced her first kiss, which, had been a wondrous experience, though it was tainted by the fact that it was to a vampire. That place held so many memories; happy and painful. It all seemed so surreal to her that it was now just a big hole in the ground.

_Rest in peace Mom, Spike, Tara, Anya, and all you slayers that died fighting. I hope you guys are somewhere better than here._

Both sisters knew that even though there were probably hundreds of slayers all over the world, Buffy couldn't just try to salvage what remained of the life she had before she became the Slayer. Xander, Willow, Dawn, and even some of the newly called slayers wouldn't be able to either. The Scooby gang had all seen and endured so much over the last seven years that reverting back to normal life was simply out of the question. They would have to go and find those slayers and let themin on the dark secrets of the world.

And just because the biggest, baddest evil of them all had been defeated, it didn't mean evil was banished from the earth completely. There would always be some new foe to vanquish, unfortunately.

They could beat back the First, they could destroy its minions and obliterate its plans at world domination, but they could not destroy the entity itself. It was the true, everlasting embodimentof pure evil. It had existed as long as there had been existence, providing the balance in the world.Even _if _the First could be destroyed, doing so could result in dire consequences for it would disrupt the balance of the natural order.

So, as goodness and pureness would never completely go away, neither would evil. And it was their duty to make sure evil did not try to overrun the earth. With the many girls who had just been handed the mantle of the Slayer, they could literally create an army to protect the world.

Dawn finally resigned herself to not getting any sleep while so many thoughts were whizzing about in her brain. She sighed and sat up to look over at her sister's bed.

"Buffy? Are you awake?" she asked in a loud whisper.

"No," was the blonde's grunting reply.

Dawn smiled. "Liar," she snickered.

"I'm just talking in my sleep," Buffy joked as she sat up in her bed.

Dawn snorted and threw a spare pillow at her sister. With years of honed slayers skills to back her up, Buffy's hand shot out and snatched the pillow right out of midair. Of course, it was far easier to catch a pillow in midair than a razor sharp knife being thrown at her face. Her first watcher, Merrick, had decided to prove that she was the Slayer by throwing a very sharp knife right at her head. Why hadn't he just thrown a pillow? Girls ruled when it came to pillow fights.

"I can't sleep either," Dawn said.

"I know. It all hasn't really sunk in yet. We turned Sunnydale into a big sinkhole. That's gotta be some new record for me. The last couple apocalypses, a couple buildings and streets were destroyed. I never leveled a whole town before," Buffy remarked in a slightly awed voice.

"Yeah. and you're like death on schools too. You burned down the gym in LA and you blew up the first Sunnydale High and you sunk the second one. Principals are gonna think twice about hiring you now," Dawn said.

Buffy snorted. "True."

"What are we gonna do now? Are we gonna go out looking for all the new slayers? Or are we staying here to help Angel?" Dawn queried.

"I don't know. I'm leaning towards going and finding those slayers. But we will have to talk to Giles in the morning about it. He's probably gonna recruit new watchers to rebuild the council. Hopefully a better council than the last one," Buffy said with just the tiniest hint of bitterness in her voice.

Dawn brightened at that idea. She hadn't been too fond of the last Watchers Council either. Of course, she felt bad that they all got blown up, but they had been jerks. Plus she had recently developed the interest in being a watcher. Having spent a lot of time around slayers and a lot of time in the field and researching different baddies, she felt she was more than qualified.

"Well," Buffy said while yawning,lying back down on the bed. "I'm worn out. I think I can get to sleep now. We'll figure this all out in the morning." She turned over and pulled the comforter closer to her small body.

Dawn followed suit and soon enough the two were out like lights.

* * *

Aidan Firewell sat on the balcony outside his bedroom overlooking the rocky interior of the valley their manor was nestled in. His hand was absentmindedly stroking his pet phoenix, Jinx, whom also belonged to Jordan. She had been a gift to the two of them when they were born by their godparents. 

The mystical bird had been his source of comfort during the months of Jordan's absence. He had spent many a sleepless night just petting her and she would sing for him sometimes, which would always cheer him up. That was why he loved phoenixes so much.

He had been grappling with strange sensations and emotions all day that did not particularly belong to him. Therefore, he was willing to bet all his galleons thatthey had something to do with his twin.

Jordan had left over four months ago just shortly after her watcher had been murdered by strange beings with slashes over their eyes. Like many other potentials (those that were still alive), she had flocked to Sunnydale to help the currentVampire Slayer battle against an entity known as the First Evil.

When her watcher had been killed, Jordan had managed to fight off her attackers using her wand and therefore had survived. Two days later, a man named Rupert Giles showed up at their doorstep. Though he was a Muggle, he was a watcher and had knowledge of the Wizarding world. He had told the Firewell family that an ancient evil called the First had been ordering its minions, the Bringers, to kill off potential slayers and their watchers. He also told them that all the potentials that he could find were going to the hellmouth in southern California where the current slayer lived.

She was preparing for war on the First and needed all the help she could get. So, naturally, Jordan went along for the ride, much to Aidan's chagrin. Their parents were reluctant to let her go, understandably. But, they knew it was crucial as many potentials as possible were placed under the Slayer's protection and it was also crucial she obtained all the reinforcements she could muster to combat the First.

Four months she had been out of school fighting on the hellmouth sending a letter or two every week just to keep them updated on her status and the status of the fight. They couldn't use their owl because she would be in the presence of Muggles. So, they improvised; she had sent letters by Muggle mail to a friend of theirs who was Muggle-born and he in turn sent the letter to them. They did the same when replying to her letters. Though it was less efficient than owl post, it was the only way they could keep in contact with her without actually going to Sunnydale themselves. And she had strictly forbade that.

They hadn't received any word from her at all in the past few weeks. Aidan, his parents, and his grandmother along with their friends and teachers at school were really beginning to fear something terrible had happened. The thought alone made Aidan feel sick to his stomach. He could not imagine life without his twin, who was, most undoubtedly, his other half.

_She can't be dead. I would know it if she had died._ Aidan and Jordan, being of magical kindand having shared a womb, had a very deep and indelible bond. When something happened to one twin, the other would know almost immediately. He or she wouldn't know specifically what had happened, but he or she would know something had happened. Sometimes, when emotions were particularly powerful, it spilled over in one twin's mind and was transmitted to the other twin.

Aidan bolted upright in his seat when he heard the telltale sounds of someone who had just ran into the screen on the fireplace. He could think of no one else who would be flooing to the manor at this time of night and his honey eyeslit up withhope.

His heart pounding fiercely, hoping against hope it was Jordan, he jumped up from his seat and ran downstairs, not caring if his heavy steps awoke his parents or grandmother. Jinx had been way ahead of him.

Sure enough, he heard the familiar voice of his twin sister swearing and kicking the screen on the fireplace.

"Damn screen! As if I need more bruises! Why the hell can't they lower the apparating age?" she yelled angrily at no one in particular.

She kicked it out of her way with a sour look on her face and stepped out of the sooty fireplace while dusting herself off only to get nearly knocked to the ground by someone throwing their arms around her and twirling her around.

"Jordan! You're back!" her twin brother cried happily.

"In the flesh," she choked out, silently thanking Willow for making her a slayer because her brother's grip was deathly tight.

The stairs creaked with the footsteps of the other three _human_ occupants of the household. Jordan looked over her brother's shoulder and smiled at the sight of her father, who had been the first to reach the bottom.

"Daddy!" Jordan cried.

Aidan released her so she could propel herself into her father's arms. After a tearful reunion between father and daughter she was then swooped up by her mother, who was crying profusely in happiness and relief. After Jordan hugged her grandmother, she was crying by now as well. She had not realized how much she had missed her family over thepast four months. Finally being able to touch them and see them was almost making her want to sink down to the ground and cry in supreme relief.

"Merlin's Beard! Look at you, child!" her grandmother screeched in horror when their eyes adjusted to the light.

She looked down at her body as if she could not guess what was upsetting them. _Oh, right. The bandages and blood. Maybe I shoulda changed before I got here._

All her injuries were mostly healed, thanks to her potion, but she hadn't removed her blood-soaked bandages and her clothes were stained with blood and dirt, and ripped in several places.

"I just got back from fighting in a battle against Ubervamps," she explained.

Then she added as an afterthought with a casually light voice, "They aren't nice."

"Did you use the potion?" Aidan asked. He had noticed his sister was not moving about like someone who had suffered injuries. If fact, she seemed quite healthy and unharmed, the blood, dirt, bandages, and ripped clothing aside.

She pulled the vial out of her jacket pocket and tossed it to him.

"Worked like a charm almost. It made me really drowsy so I'm gonna have to fix that," she said.

"Oh, honey, how bad were you hurt?" her mother asked.

"Um, I was stabbed right here." She pointed to her lower left abdomen. "Here." She ran her hand over the middle of her back. "In this shoulder and I also got a chunk tore out of it by an Ubervamp." She put her hand over her left shoulder.

"Holy crap," Aidan breathed. "That had to hurt."

Jordan laughed in a slightly manic way. "You have no idea. Luckily, I was too scared to notice the pain very much. It's a wonder what fear will make you forget."

"How come you didn't, you know, like pass out from those wounds? Only a slayer could withstand damage like that and still fight, even then it would be hard," Aidan asked.

Jordan did not answer him, but merely smiled meaningfully and winked at him.

"Merlin, my daughter's the Slayer now," her father said incredulously, but with a note of pride.

"_A_ slayer, Dad. There's more than one now. Actually there has been more than one for a while but now there's more than two," she told them.

"How? If I understand correctly, one of the previous slayers would have to die for another to be chosen," her mother said while smoothing down loose hairs on Jordan's head.

"Not anymore. Buffy and her Wicca friend Willow changed the rules. Now every potential slayer in the world has gone kinetic," Jordan said.

Buffy and Willow were people Jordan had often written about in her lengthy letters. From the way she had written about them, her family knew both women were people Jordan had deeply admired and respected.

"So, Buffy isn't dead?" her father asked.

"Well, first off, Faith, the other slayer I told you guys about, would have to die for there to be a new slayer. And, second off, no, both are alive and well. Or at least alive," Jordan answered.

"So, how did this Wicca turn all potentials into slayers?" her mother inquired with intrigue.

"I'll tell you guys the whole story, trust me. But I'm suffering floolag and battle fatigue and I am feeling really icky. Where's Springer?" Jordan looked around the living room.

Her question was answered by the pitter-patter of tiny house elf feet.

"Miss Jordan! Miss Jordan! Springer is glad to see his little mistress is in one piece. Springer has been worried sick about you," a house elf dressed in an outfit made out of a patchwork quilt squeaked.

He had wrapped his tiny arms around her legs. She bent down and kissed his bumpy forehead and grinned fondly at the creature.

"I missed you too, Springer. Can you start up a bath for me?" she requested.

"Of course! Right away, Little Mistress." He bounded up the stairs.

"I missed that little guy," she said softly, watching him go.

CRACK! The headmistress of Cristallon School of Magic appeared right in the middle of the living room. Jordan jumped back, startled. Having been living around the exclusive company of Muggles for so long, she had become unaccustomed to people just apparating and disapparating. She would give almost anything to be able to do it already, but she and Aidan were not yet seventeen and therefore not of age.

Next January, they could obtain their apparating licenses and kiss their floo powder goodbye. Well, they could kiss it goodbye during the summer vacation because one could not apparate or disapparate on school grounds due to the powerful wards.

Professor Scarlett Tranley was a kind, intelligent witch in her early forties. She had been promoted to headmistress of Cristallon School of Magic in the state of Washingtonfive years ago after working there for ten years as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Always privy to Jordan's special circumstances, she had allowed for the girl to take an "extended leave of absence" per se from school and use summer vacation to make it all up, provided she _did_ return.

When she noticed Jordan, her mouth turned up into a smile.

"I knew you would get out of there in time. And congratulations, I hear the war is won," the redheaded witch stated in her businesslike tone.

"What are you talking about? What happened, Professor Tranley?" Aidan asked.

"The hellmouth in Sunnydale, California is no more. I am sure Jordan was getting around to telling you about that unless she didn't know about it. But that is not why I am here," Professor Tranley answered primly.

"Oh yeah, I knew about it. I was on the bus when it was imploding. We barely managed to escape," Jordan told them.

"So what brings you here?" Mrs. Firewell asked.

"Wait, wait, wait! Before anyone starts talking, and I don't mean to be rude, Professor, but I need some-thank you Grandma!" she exclaimed as her grandmother entered the living room with a platter of warm chocolate-chip cookies.

"I knew you were going to get to these sooner or later. You've earned it," the old woman said proudly.

Aidan and Jordan instantly helped themselves to their yummy chocolate therapy. Jordan could not believe she was able to go four whole months without her grandmother's famous cookies, or cooking for that matter. As soon as she had wolfed down about half the platter she gestured for the headmistress to go on.

Professor Tranley shook her head and smiled at the girl.

"I was recently visited by Professor Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland. He came to see me right after he had received a very interesting letter from one of his students," she stated.

"_The _Professor Dumbledore? As in the only one that Voldemort was afraid of?" Jordan asked incredulously.

"And isn't Hogwarts the school Harry Potter goes to?" Aidan queried.

"Yes, both are correct. I assume you have not been told of the recent events over in Britain, but we shall get to that later. I have been corresponding with him ever since I became headmistress. I had met him on a vacation in Britain and your name came up in conversation. I told him you were a potential slayer, since it was such an oddity. I also told him that you had been aiding the current slayer with her fight against the First Evil at the Hellmouth in Sunnydale and the story of how many potentials the world over were being killed by minions of the First," she said.

The Firewell family were all now situated on the assorted couches and loveseats in the large living room with their eyes riveted to the stately witch.

"Well, it would seem that earlier today a witch who attends Hogwarts and happens to be a friend of Harry Potter's had had some rather disturbing dreams. Dreams that involved dozens of girls fighting strange vampiric creatures with swords, axes, and stakes. And she had also mentioned something about feeling very strange and empowered. This girl, who is your age, Jordan, wrote to Professor Dumbledore about this and after receiving the letter he apparated to my house to learn more of the situation on the Hellmouth. I was wondering if you would be able to shed some light on this situation," Professor Tranley intoned.

Jordan chewed her cookies while she mulled over what Professor Tranley had told them. She was obviously very tired because it took a minute for her to figure out what the professor was getting at.

"Holy crap! She's a slayer too!" she practically shouted.

"Yes, I had gathered that, but how? Did one of the current slayers die?" the headmistress asked seriously.

"No, no, no. Buffy, the older current slayer, had her friend Willow, who is a Wicca, do a spell that activated all potentials in the world. It was basically the only way our tiny army could havestood a chance against those Turok-Han vampires. So, now there are like hundreds of newly called slayers out there instead of the standard one and only," Jordan explained.

Professor Tranley nodded in understanding.

"I see. Well, this certainly changes things," she replied in an extremely thoughtful tone.

"Yeah. I am so grateful to that Wicca, I would hate to have to fight evil all alone. I totally pity Buffy for having to put up with that. Must have sucked," Jordan said.

She stood up and stretched and prepared to go up to take her bath. Unfortunately, Professor Tranley was not quite finished with her yet.

"Jordan, I am afraid I have some news that you probably will not like. I believe your family wanted to spare you until tomorrow, but I feel the sooner you know, the better. As a witch and a slayer you are going to, quite possibly, play a crucial role."

_Oh, this can't be good. Anytime I playcrucial role it ends up being really painful. _

The headmistress took a deep breath before saying the words that caused Jordan's legs to become nothing but jelly.

"The dark lord Voldemort had risen again."

Jordan's honey-colored eyes had widened to near double their usual size and she almost dropped her empty, crumb-strewn platter. Her face paled quite noticeably, which was a mean feat since she already boasted a fair complexion. She spoke not a word, but sank down onto the couch because her legs had promptly decided they were tired of keeping her upright.

Professor Tranley continued on in an obviously annoyed tone, "_Apparently_, he had risen last year, but the Ministry of Magic in Britain led by that idiot, Fudge, refused to believe it and kept it all under wraps. It was only made public due to a skirmish at the ministry a couple weeks ago involving our new slayer-witch, Harry Potter, his other friends, and the dark lord. Now, all of the wizarding world knows."

Jordan shakily sat back down and put her head between her kneesto stimulate the bloodflow back into her brain.

_No! No! No! I just got back from fighting a battle! Why did you have to come back you stupid snake-crazy asshole! Why? Oh, Merlin, I think I'm gonna be sick. _

Terror and nausea assailed her mercilessly and she struggled to maintain at least a small amount of control over herself.

When Voldemort had been at large fifteen years ago, he had concentrated most of his battles in Europe; Great Britain to be precise. America had been left alone and with good reason. Voldemort did not want to trifle with a nation of witches and wizards of whom the bulk of the population were derived from Muggle ancestry. In order to keep themselves out of the war, the Minister of Magic of the time had issued a neutral stance towards the war; though they were partial to the cause against Voldemort.

Most Americans, not willing to get embroiled in a conflict thousands of miles away, were fine with it. After all, being of the continent and hemisphere with the most virulent hellmouths, they had quite a barrage of their own problems to deal with.

However, many American Aurors felt it was their duty to help their magical brothers and sisters in the fight against this macabre wizard. With the experience of fighting hellmouth-centered creatures to back them up, they formed a powerful allying force to the British cause. Jordan had lost many aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives, and her parents had lost many friends to Death Eaters. Her own grandfather, Christopher Firewell, a world renown Auror had been brutally tortured and murdered by Death Eaters when she and her twin were not yet over half a year old.

"Jordan? Are you alright?" her brother asked worriedly.

"Yeah, just give me a minute. I think I need some more cookies," she said weakly. _Or a strong drink._

"Um, you ate them all," he told her.

"Shit," she muttered.

"Miss Jordan! Miss Jordan! Your bath is ready!" Springer announced, unaware of the shift in the atmosphere from jubilation to dread.

"She'll be up there in a minute Springer!" Aidan yelled back.

"I know this news is rather shocking, but I swear to you it is the truth. I would hardly make something like this up. I will arrange for Dumbledore to meet us here with his student as soon as possible. We might need to propose an alliance between the Wizarding World and the Slayers. Dumbledore says this reign might be worse than Voldemort's last. We need all the firepower we can muster," Professor Tranley informed her.

"Thank you, Scarlett. Care for a drink?" Jordan's grandmother inquired.

"No thank you, Elizabeth. I must be going," the headmistress replied curtly with an appreciative smile.

She turned her dark eyes on her distressed pupil with an apologetic expression upon her face.

"It is nice to see that you have survived this battle, Jordan. I am sorry you might be pulled into another one. You must be exhausted," she said kindly, resting her hand on Jordan's non-bloody shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I guess it would be too much to hope that defeating the First would get rid of all evil. Oh well," she put her palms up in the gesture of defeat.

The Professor smiled at that and then she disapparated with a CRACK!

Jordan sat there in contemplative silence, the weight of her recent revelations bearing heavily down on her. She rubbed at her eyes and sighed desparingly. What a brilliant way to ruin her homecoming.

"I'm taking my bath now," she announced to her family, her tone far less cheerful than it had been before.

In the bathroom, Jordan peeled off her ruined clothes and relaxed herself into the nice, hot water. For the moment, she could just let all the problems outside the white-tiled walls drift away. She heard a rustling of feathers and saw Jinx perched on the towel rack.

"Oh, Jinx! I didn't forget about you, sweetie! It was just everything was so hectic when I got back. You must've been up here waiting for me girl."

Jordan stroked the rich gold plumage on the beautiful phoenix and spoke softly to her.

"It's been a very weird day, Jinx. Even weirder than the time Aidan and I kept stinging ourselves with Billywigs in Australia. I hope you kept the family morale up while I was gone," she told her.

"And I'm gonna be needing some of that morale now. You heard, I assume, about Voldemort's return. I bet Grandpa's rolling over in his grave at that one," she said sardonically.

Jordan lie there in her half-sleeping state, letting the steamy water soak away all the blood, sweat, dirt, and stress before she bolted upright.

"Damn! I left my bag in the fireplace!"


	4. Chapter Four

Thanks to my reviewers: **CF28, Draco's Slayer, Brutal2003, Incepte, **and **becks89.**

* * *

He could see her face in front of him as clearly as if she were actually standing there. Her soft blondish-brown curls brushing lightly against those perfectly formed, narrow shoulders were so close he could almost feel them beneath his fingertips. Those delectable doe brown eyes flashing with vitality and sarcasm; he could picture everything. He reached out to touch her, but whenever his hand seemed to graze her flesh she would disappear.

_I'm hallucinating, I'm going crazy. Oh Anya, why did you have to be the hero? Why?_

Alexander Harris did not even bother to check the tears that fell freely down his face. The tears, being the first to fall since he heard the grim news of his love's demise, were bathing his face in a salty tide of misery and grief.

But when he woke up this morning, he forced himself to accept it. She was gone. That was all there was to it. Denying it would only prolong his pain; it was best just to let the grief come and go. The pain would lessen with time, Willow had said, but she said it would never fully go away.

Once he finally acknowledged it, the waterworks came. It was like he had dammed up the tide, but with acknowledgement came a breach in the dam.

_Oh God, how did Will, Buffy, and Giles do this? I feel like I've had my heart ripped out of me._

Xander had a new respect for those three. He couldn't imagine, couldn't even fathom what it must've been like for them to lose the loves of their lives. Not until yesterday.

So immersed in his thoughts (which was odd for Xander) was he, he did not hear Willow open the door and enter the room with coffee and doughnuts.

"Xander? You want something to eat?" she offered tentatively.

"Sure, Will. Thanks," he said flatly as he took one of the coffees handed to him and a chocolate doughnut.

Willow took a seat beside her best friend and surveyed his blotchy features with a sympathetic eye. Feeling her heart clench from the pain he must be experiencing, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. Xander flung all his masculine inhibitions aside and buried his face in Willow's shoulder to let his tears run free.

"How am I supposed to do this, Will? I feel like I'm dying," he sobbed wretchedly.

"You just need to work through it. It'll get better, I promise," she whispered, stroking his back.

She remembered well what it had felt like when Tara died. Of course, she had dealt with her girlfriend's death very badly and ended up killing a man, which only sufficed to add on to her pain afterward. But she could still vividly recall the hollow feeling in her chest, the mind-numbing pain in that place in her heart that was exclusively Tara's. Essentially, it was a pain that had never really gone away completely.

_That's the downside of being in the Scooby Gang, you always end up getting something taken from you._ She felt so lucky to have her friends though and she was grateful beyond words that they had so willingly forgiven her for her actions. She had been so afraid they would cast her out and she could not say she would have blamed them. But they had welcomed her home, well, after the incident with the skin-eating demon, and back into their lives. Without them, Willow honestly did not know where she would be.

The two friends did not hear the door open and the soft footsteps of their mutual best friend and protector, Buffy. The small blonde looked upon the two on the bed tenderly and glided over to give her part of comfort to the grieving Xander.

Xander suddenly felt another pair of arms wrap around him and he shifted around to let his other best friend hug him. The three just sat there for a long time holding each other, neither saying a word.

Seven years they had been together. Seven years they had battled the forces of evil together. They had all lost people close to them in the fights and all of them had come pretty close to dying. Buffy had not only come close, she had actually died twice. Each time her friends had brought her back.

They had hit a bumpy road a few days ago and differences of opinion had forced them apart. Looking back on it nowthey saw how ridiculous they had been. Buffy was the Slayer (well, technically _a_ Slayer now but she would always be _the_ Slayer to her friends). Fighting evil was her job and she did it pretty damn well.

They should have known that she would not let them down, that she knew what she was doing. They should have trusted her because she had earned that trust time and time again. Instead, they betrayed her and it left both Xander and Willow riddled with no small amount of guilt over it.

However, Buffy was immensely forgiving and had put it behind her. They sought to do the same, but could not help but think they would somehow be forced to pay for their betrayal.

Buffy was the first to break the solemn silence.

"What happens now, guys?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Willow replied.

"Well, the Hellmouth is destroyed. So, that's out of the picture. What are we going to do now?" the petite slayer inquired.

"It doesn't matter. Just as long as I get to stick with you guys," Xander replied, grateful for something to take his mind off his Anya.

"So, are we gonna go out and find all those slayers or are we actually gonna get normal jobs?" Buffy queried in an amused voice.

"Well, to be technical, you two did have normal jobs before and I was a college student. I mean, a foreman and a high school counselor do not rate high on the supernatural scale," Willow commented.

"Yeah, I think schools should issue restraining orders against us. Or at least me. Look at what happened to the last three schools I stepped foot in," Buffy wryly remarked.

"I bet you loads of teenagers would hire you for those services." To the relief of his two best friends, Xander had decided to join in on the dry jokes.

"I think we should go out and find them, Buffy. Do you have any idea what we could do now that there are hundreds of girls out there like you and Faith? Think about it. No more _she alone._ We can fight evil so much more efficiently now," Willow said.

"Yeah, that was what I was thinking. We should call for a meeting with all the girls here and later we can talk to the girls at the hospital. Ask them what they wanna do," Buffy decided.

Xander and Willow nodded their agreement and followed her out the door to begin planning their future. It would not matter what was in the future to them, as long as they would not be apart. Apparently, you can take the Scoobies out of the Hellmouth, but you could not take the Hellmouth out of the Scoobies.

* * *

Jordan swerved to the right, managing to avoid getting stabbed right in the gut. Unfortunately, she had not removed herself from the pathway of the blade entirely and the result was its being plunged into her left side. She had dodged one bullet only to put herself in the path of another.

Sucking in her scream of pain, she doubled over for a minute while hot tears dripped from her eyes. Sucking in another breath of air that her lungs seemed to be starved for, she swung her own blade to behead the Ubervamp that had wounded her. Her aim was true and resulted in an eruption of swirling ashes.

_Please God don't let the third time be the charm, _she thought as she grasped the handle and pulled out the offending blade and let it clatter to the ground. Her vision began to recede while becoming distorted further by black spots. Her head spun wildly and she was having trouble telling the difference between sweat and blood dripping down her back and off her forehead. Not that it really mattered at the moment, but it would have been nice to know if she was really bleeding to death.

Not bothering to catalog her injuries at the moment, she was content just thinking that this was probably the most pain she had ever experienced in her entire life. They were like annoying little volcanoes erupting with blood and agony all over her body. The only thing greater than her pain was her fear. Her fear kept her conscious; it probably was what was keeping her alive.

She could write a list on mile-long parchment of places she would rather be than in this fucking hole battling Ubervamps. And she fancied she could really use a strong glass of whiskey or a chocolate chip cookie at the moment, preferably simultaneously.

_Yeah, I could definitely use one of those right now. So, Jordan, if you ever wanna see cookies again, you'd better stop thinking and get back to fighting._

Jordan pulled herself out of her wishful thinking and forced herself to jump back into the fray. She slashed, hacked, and beheaded any non-human creature that came her way with a desperate fury to her moves. Her sister slayers were battling beside her and she tried very hard to shut out their own cries of pain because it was bad enough she had to deal with her own.

She gasped when something grabbed her from behind. The sound of tearing flesh caused her stomach to flip-flop and she wondered vaguely where it was coming from. She was so distracted she did not realize until after blood ran down her shoulder that the sound of tearing flesh was her own flesh being torn up by an Ubervamp that had clamped its teeth on her shoulder. Sensation came galloping back upon realization. Her sword fell from her hand as yet another massive torrent of agony washed over her.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" she screamed, instinctively dropping to the ground and flipping her attacker over her shoulder.

The Ubervamp lost its grip and went crashing into a stalagmite or stalactite—she could never remember which was which. Alas, it took a chunk of her shoulder with it.

The black spots returned and it brought friends along for the party. Swooning with wooziness and nausea, the young Slayer's legs failed her and she crumpled to her knees, falling over on all fours. She had lost her sword and therefore her only weapon besides herself and her own incredible strength. Unfortunately, as battered as she was, she certainly did not rate high on the scale of weaponry.

_This wasn't exactly how you envisioned yourself in battle, Chica,_ a voice inside her head mocked.

_Oh, shut up, you stupid inner monologue!_

Something collided with her and knocked her all the way to the ground, causing her arguing inner voices to run for cover in the back of her mind. She had the sinking feeling it was a body and she was hoping that it was not a fellow Slayer. Tentatively opening her eyes, she found herself staring into the empty blue eyes of a nameless comrade. Her neck was torn, badly. Flesh hung off of it in ragged strips, dripping warm, sticky blood onto Jordan's face. Feeling strength and anger supercede the nausea and dizziness (although, unfortunately not the pain), she gritted her teeth in determination and pushed the dead girl's body off of her.

Above her stood a Turok-Han vampire, its sword poised to exact a killing blow. Jordan screamed.

* * *

KERPLUNK! The wooden nightstand toppled over as the girl in the bed fell over the side, banging her head right against it.

"Ow," Jordan sleepily muttered as she rubbed the back of her head.

Her red-tinged eyes blinked over and over to wash away the haziness of her vision before figuring out it was daylight. She sighed and untangled herself from her covers and pulled herself to her feet.

While stretching out her sore limbs, someone knocked on her door.

"Little mistress? Is everything well? Springer heard the thump," her house-elf asked concernedly.

"It's okay, Springer. Just a bad dream. You can come in," Jordan answered.

The door opened with the little creature poking his head in and looking around the room dubiously.

"Your grandmother wants to know if you will be eating in here or if you will join the family for breakfast. Springer thought it best that his little mistress got some rest. So, I tells the family that they should go ahead and eats without you. But your headmistress is here, Miss Jordan," he told her in his high squeaky voice.

"Professor Tranley is here? Again?" What other horrible apocalyptic news did her headmistress have to bring?

He nodded his head to affirm it.

"Alright, I'll be down. Just let me get dressed." She waved him away and rubbed at her sleepy eyes again.

The house elf bowed in respect before exiting the room to give his young mistress privacy. Her highly sensitive ears could pick up the pattering of his tiny feet out in the hallway.

She dressed in black capris and a _Netherworld Avengers _black t-shirt, which was her favorite band before pulling her thick, shoulder-length auburn hair into a loose ponytail. After applying a minimum amount of make-up she declared herself fit to be seen by company. It was not exactly glamorous, but, hey, it was a hell of an improvement from last night. At least there was no blood and dirt caked all over her.

The tantalizing aromas of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and sausages and many assorted fruits greeted Jordan quite merrily when she reached the top of the stairs. Her parents and brother were situated at the table along with Professor Tranley while her grandmother was flicking her wand about in the kitchen to tidy up. Jordan breathed in deep, reveling in the scents she had been missing for the past four months.

"Hey, look, it's our war hero!" Mr. Firewell bellowed when he saw his daughter enter.

"War hero needs food," Jordan replied in a gruff voice. She piled pancakes and sausages onto her place and drowned them in strawberry syrup, while grabbing an apple and a bunch of grapes. If there was one thing one need never fear of Jordan losing, it was definitely her appetite. If she were to lose that, then something was beyond seriously wrong.

"Well, I figure in a couple of days we can expect about two-hundred Messenger reporters at our door. News of the California hellmouth's destruction has made the front page." Aidan tossed the newspaper to his sister and smirked at her frown of annoyance.

Splayed across the front page of the _Winged Messenger _were two photographs of Sunnydale. The one on the left portrayed the town before the incident with cars and people scattered about and moving around constantly. The photograph on the right, however, revealed the present Sunnydale. There were really only two things in the photograph: the huge gaping crater that was once Sunnydale and the sign that cheerfully read, "Welcome to Sunnydale." It was actually quite funny to Jordan when she thought about the irony of the picture.

"It was a nice little town," Jordan commented absently. "Besides, the, you know, hellmouth part."

The title of the article was all in capitals: INFAMOUS HELLMOUTH IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DESTROYED!

"Heh, I'm surprised Mom and Dad weren't called into work," Jordan remarked.

"This morning we requested some time off. We wanted to spend time with our newly returned daughter," her father replied, beaming at her proudly. "We had trouble enough fending them off for visits. Everyone was worried about you." His smile fell at the next words. "Since Voldemort's back and we've got to sort out the business with the Hellmouth's collapse, these will probably be the last few days off your mother and I get."

Jordan grimaced in sympathy for her parents and flung the newspaper aside. She would have read the article, but priorities were priorities and there was a full plate of food sitting in front her waiting to be chewed and digested. She could not disappoint.

"I have spoken with Professor Dumbledore and he has informed me that he and his student will be here today," Professor Tranley announced.

"When?" Jordan questioned.

"Whenever he gets here," was all she said.

_Oh, that helps._

She mentally rolled her eyes and continued eating her breakfast. She knew she had to floo back to the Hyperion to let everyone there know she was still alive. After that she had hoped to take her Firebolt for a spin. She and Aidan were on both their school's Quidditch and Quodpot teams. They served as Chasers on the Quidditch team and were both named MVPs on separate occasions.

Thoughts of school sports awakened thoughts of other less pleasant aspects of school. Missing four months of school meant missing four months worth of schoolwork and final exams. She also missed the S.M.P.E.'s (Standard Magical Prowess Evaluation), which was the American equivalent of the British O.W.L.s. The tests, though varied in name, basically tested fifth-year witches and wizards on their magical ability. They provided almost unerring insight into what sorts of careers students should actively pursue once they graduated from school.

Jordan, as a student, was on the average side with a balanced dynamic. She did very well in some subjects, mediocre in others, and positively bombed in a few subjects. Her absolute worst class would have to be Transfiguration, which she could barely maintain a passing grade in. She was an absolute genius in Potions though, often experimenting on her own creations. That subject ought to be a breeze.

Seeing the sudden expression of dread on his sister's face prompted Aidan to tease her. "Bet you're thinking about schoolwork."

"Well, I have four freaking months to make up! How the hell am I supposed to pass Transfiguration? I can barely pass it when I _am_ there," she responded miserably.

"Jordan, please lower your voice and mind your language. Remember we have guests," her mother scolded softly. She sincerely hoped Jordan would have curtailed her propensity for cursing like a sailor by now.

Her face reddened and she resumed eating, but she still continued to whine over the whole ordeal in her mind. _Why, why, why? Why couldn't I have just died in battle? It would have made life so much simpler._

Sounds originating from the living room alerted the six witches and wizards of the arrival of the esteemed Dumbledore and his as-yet-unidentified student. The elder Mrs. Firewell flicked her wand and everyone's plate save Jordan's disappeared instantaneously.

Jordan hurriedly shoveled food into her mouth, forgetting her mother and grandmother's constant warnings on eating too much food too fast making her sick. Everyone else abandoned her for the living room to meet the legendary wizard and his young pupil.

* * *

Hermione blinked her eyes in surprise at the opulence and size of the place she had just portkeyed to with Dumbledore. Warily inspecting it, she wondered why it was called a house when it was clearly a mansion or rather close to it. Statues of magical creatures and people dressed in old-fashioned robes and Greek-style garments were lined up against the walls and there was even a golden statue of Cupid beside the fireplace, standing on one leg and stretching out as if he were about to grab something. Canvases of oil paintings and modern day portrait-size photographs adorned the walls beside colorful decorations. The occupants of the pictures instantly began to chatter in wonder over Dumbledore's arrival. Some of the people were even abandoning their portraits temporarily. No doubt they were going to other areas in the house to tell them of the esteemed guest.

These people were wealthy, and often times being wealthy went hand in hand with being powerful. She wondered what these people's stance on Muggle-born witches and wizards was. She hoped that Dumbledore would not be foolish enough to take her inside the home of people who were prejudiced against Muggle-borns. Her mind forced her to rationalize things to soothe her fluttering nerves. Dumbledore would not take her to a home full of Muggle-haters and even so, she was with _Dumbledore_. What did one have to fear in his presence?

"Professor Dumbledore! Glad you could come," a man greeted jovially. This was obviously the master of the house.

Hermione studied the man who shook Dumbledore's hand with such friendly ease. He was a muscular man, but surprisingly limber in his movements. His black hair was slightly wavy and brushed the ends of his ears; his face was covered with stubble and Hermione could detect the faint outlines of a beard and mustache. His eyes were the color of fine honey and sparkled with humor and kindness. She had trouble picturing him as a Muggle-hating bigot, but appearances could be deceiving.

The woman standing next to him was average in height, slender, and extremely pretty. The regal manner in which she held herself would make one think she was descended from royalty, but she had none of the inherent arrogance to go along with it. Her hair was a dark shade of auburn, which was pulled back out of her fair-skinned face. Her keen blue eyes crackled with shrewd intelligence and strength. Like her husband (at least, Hermione assumed he was her husband) she looked to be in her mid-thirties, but with an ageless quality of vitality not unlike Dumbledore's.

There was also a tall, stately redheaded witch who greeted Dumbledore just as warmly as the man and other woman had. She had the look of a much younger McGonagall, with the same commanding presence and stern gleam in her eyes.

"Gabriel, Aurora, my it has been some time since we last saw each other. I trust all has been well in the last fifteen years?" Dumbledore said.

_The last fifteen years? Did he last see them when You-Know-Who was at large the last time?_ Even in her mind, Hermione was having trouble calling the Dark Lord by his true name.

"As well as everything could be. We've been having trouble with the hellmouths, as usual. Although it looks like we have one less to worry about," the woman replied.

"Yes, I heard about this. I suppose that's one of the reasons we are meeting," Dumbledore quipped wryly.

The old man's sparkling blue eyes landed on the tall teenage boy standing beside the woman named Aurora. His tousled hair was as auburn as the woman's, but his eyes were the same honey color as the black-haired man. Hermione automatically deduced that the boy was their son.

_And a right fetching one, at that_, Hermione mused. Though she was enamored of another boy, she did have to admire the toned physique of the auburn-haired boy as any female with eyes would. His face was delicately chiseled and delectably smooth, a very handsome face with a body to match. _He must have several admirers._

"This is our son Aidan," the woman said, laying her hand on the tall boy.

"He's a rising sixth-year at Cristallon," she added proudly, smiling warmly at her son.

_He's the same year as I am. _Hermione forced her thoughts away from the handsome American and back on the track of wondering why they were here. She thought they had come to meet a Slayer like her, but she had yet to see a girl the right age.

"A pleasure, Mr. Firewell," Dumbledore said, holding his hand out to shake the boy's.

"Wow. Professor Dumbledore. You have no idea what an honor this is. I mean...wow," Aidan stuttered, not believing he was actually shaking the man's hand. "My parents talked about you, but I've always wanted to meet you."

Dumbledore smiled graciously, modestly bowing his head while his blue eyes glimmered with amusement at the boy's awe. Hermione figured he was used to this sort of reaction. After all, he was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared.

Dumbledore suddenly seemed to remember that Hermione was there beside him and he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"This is Hermione Granger, the student of which I spoke," he announced proudly. "She's one of our best and brightest from Hogwarts and is also a rising sixth-year in Gryffindor."

Hermione blushed at the praise from her headmaster and nodded her head in a sudden fit of shyness as the three Firewells smiled at her. She noticed there was an elderly woman in the room also, but Hermione had taken no notice of her before. The woman was short and plump with dark hair streaked with gray and sharp gray eyes. Though old in body, she certainly did not seem old in mentality. Witches and wizards often aged far more gracefully and easily than Muggles due to the magic in their blood.

"This, Hermione, is the Firewell family. Gabriel and Aurora Firewell were some of our most admirable allies during Voldemort's last reign. Even if the American Ministry did not want to give full support, they were among the first to come overseas to lend their aid. The other woman there is Professor Scarlett Tranley, headmistress of Cristallon School of Magic in Washington State. The woman over there is Gabriel's mother, Elizabeth Firewell," he informed the young witch.

"Nice to meet you, Hermione," Aidan greeted kindly, shaking her hand.

Hermione felt the girl's presence before she had even entered the room. It was the same presence of primal strength and power of the Slayer enmeshed with the vibrant magic of a witch, that Hermione fancied she, herself, emanated. This was the girl she had wanted to meet. She met the girl's honey eyes when she entered and the girl smiled as she came to realize who Hermione was. A connection was forged and a kinship born as the two slayer-witches assessed each other silently.

"Ah, this must be Jordan," Dumbledore noted, grinning at the belatedly arrived girl.

"Sorry I'm a little late. I had to finish eating breakfast. Near-death experiences tend to make me ravenous," the girl explained, smiling nervously at Dumbledore.

"I understand, Miss Firewell," Dumbledore replied, shaking her hand.

The girl decided to introduce herself to Hermione and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Jordan. You must be the other slayer-witch I've heard of."

"Well, yes, I guess so," Hermione responded. "I'm Hermione Granger."

Jordan nodded her head and smiled, then turned to Aidan and raised her eyebrow in a questioning manner. "Haven't been charming the pretty lass to death, have you now?" she teased. Hermione blushed madly.

Aidan smirked at his sister and replied wryly, "Not yet."

Hermione sensed from this bantering exchange the strange and extremely close link between the two siblings. Her brown eyes traveled back and forth from one to the other, noting the physical features and how strikingly each resembled the other. Aside from being a girl and having her features greatly softened to a more feminine tone, Jordan looked a lot like Aidan. Their hair color was the same shade, their eyes were identical, and even the way they cocked their eyebrows was similar.

She blurted the question out before even thinking about it. "Are you two twins?"

"Yep," Jordan affirmed. "'Cept I'm three and a half minutes older. Not that you could tell since he's so damn tall."

"Jordan! Language!" Mrs. Firewell scolded in exasperation.

Almost mechanically, Jordan replied with a sigh, "Sorry, Mom."

"Professor Dumbledore, I believe we should all sit down and Jordan should tell her story," Professor Tranley interjected loudly so as to grab everyone's attention.

Jordan's playful demeanor dissolved into the demeanor of a jaded young warrior. She obviously did not want to relive some of those memories she hid, but she would for the sake of their cause.

"Okay, if you want. You all might wanna sit down because this will take a while," she suggested, already sitting on the hard-back chair by the fireplace beside the Cupid statue.

"Come to think of it--Springer!" Jordan bellowed.

_Who is Springer?_ Hermione wondered to herself. When she saw a house-elf dressed in a patchwork quilt, anger and disbelief flooded her system and she clenched both her fists and teeth as she struggled to stem the tide. The creature looked like any house-elf she had seen, but his coloring was lighter and his eyes were darker. He looked rather genial and good-natured, not like a house-elf whowas abused and mistreated. Nonetheless, Hermione was hard put not to glare stonily at her fellow Slayer-witch.

"Yes, Miss Jordan? Ah, I sees that there is more company. Springer the house-elf is at your service sir and miss." He bowed, only sufficing to anger Hermione more.

_The poor deluded creature. _

"So, what will you guys have? Tea? Coffee? Butterbeer? Irish whiskey? Chocolate chip cookies?" Jordan asked.

"I wouldn't say no to some tea, if that's alright," Professor Dumbledore answered.

"Hermione?" Jordan asked.

Hermione sucked in some air through her clenched teeth and shook her head to indicate that she didn't want anything. Jordan, oblivious to her fellow slayer-witch's anger, asked if anyone else wished to have refreshment.

Dumbledore was handed a steaming cup of tea sweetened with honey; he breathed the scent in deep and nodding approvingly to the nervous house-elf. Springer beamed at the unspoken praise and bowed in appreciation.

After Springer left, Jordan reluctantly began her story.

"Well, I suppose the story starts with Buffy Summers. She was Called when she was fifteen and she died a year later when fighting the Master. She didn't stay dead because her pal Xander managed to revive her by using...em...using that thing...you know," Jordan said, gesturing around in the hopes that someone would give her the answer she sought.

"When a Muggle drowns they use it a lot to, like, get them breathing again. What was it? PCP? They mentioned that quite a lot. I know it had three letters," Jordan said in a thoughtful voice.

"CPR?" Hermione ventured.

"That's the one! Thanks, Hermione," Jordan exclaimed.

Hermione shrugged and smiled weakly. "Happy to help."

"Um, yeah, well that revived her, but since she _was_ technically dead another Slayer was Called. Her name, I think, was Kendra. She didn't last long, though. Got herself offed by a vampire named Drusilla. Her death got Faith Called and she's still alive. So, ever since Buffy was sixteen, there have been two active Slayers. Everyone following me, so far?" Jordan glanced around the living room to see if anyone was incredibly lost yet. If they weren't yet, they sure would be later; she was certain.

"Shoot forward to present time. You got this...well...I'm just going to call it an entity and it's called the First Evil. It's a non-corporeal thing that basically manifests in the forms of people who've died. It's actually more annoying than scary, since all it could basically do was taunt us. Its minions were the real problem," Jordan said, suppressing a shudder.

"Its minions are called Bringers. They're really freaky looking, by the way. They don't have eyes, just little slashy x-marks over the sockets. The First was sending those guys out to kill off Potential Slayers so no one would be around to inherit the power of the Slayer if Faith died. It's actually kind of funny when you think of all the attention the First paid to Buffy when the line didn't run through her anyway. I mean, she's the strongest Slayer, but still..." Jordan laughed sardonically, but quieted when it appeared no one else found amusement from it.

She reddened slightly in embarrassment and cleared her throat. "Yes, well,moving on...The Bringers weren't its only servants. It also had its own personal human bitch."

She caught a sharp look from her mother. "Erm...what I meant was human servant," she amended sheepishly.

Dumbledore smiled mirthfully at her while Hermione frowned. No doubt this brought to memory all the times she had chastised Ron for swearing too often. Her frown disappeared when her thoughts drifted to her favorite redhead. She forced herself to steer her wayward attention back onto the situation at hand.

_Really, it's not like they seem offended by the language_, Jordan said to herself sulkily, noticing the smiles on both guests' faces.

"Anyway, the dude's name was Caleb. He was about as nice as a manticore on a bad day. The first girl who ran into him got branded on the neck, gutted, and then thrown out of a moving vehicle," Jordan said bluntly, shaking her head.

Hermione failed to suppress her expression of abject horror and her gasp of like manner. She was not the only one who gasped at the atrocity that Jordan spoke of so casually. The redheaded woman was no longer retaining her stoic reserve and was staring at her pupil with her mouth slightly agape.

Dumbledore heaved a weary sigh and murmured, "Oh dear."

Jordan nodded in silent agreement before continuing. "She was found in time to be taken to a Muggle hospital and she survived. She gave a message to Buffy that Caleb had something of hers. He was stationed at a vineyard and a bunch of us were sent in along with her, Faith, and Xander and Spike--I'll tell you about him later--to retrieve whatever it was he had."

Jordan was quiet for a long time as she sifted through the scattered memories of that fateful endeavor. Caleb had killed two Potentials, many more had been injured and hospitalized (including herself), and Xander had had his eye gouged out by the sadistic preacher. She did not blame Buffy as so many others had done because she had known, from personal experience with family, that casualties were bound to occur in war.

"To say that mission was a failure would be a huge understatement. We discovered that Caleb was not an ordinary, crazy human. The First, somehow, gave him more strength than any man has ever had. Either that or he was drinking re'em blood and we didn't know it. Anyway, he was stronger than a Slayer. We hadn't expected it. That was our real mistake, underestimating the enemy," Jordan muttered resentfully, her expression growing darker.

She swallowed hard before going on. "We lost two girls in the fight. No one really escaped unscathed, especially Xander. The poor guy got his eye gouged out by Caleb. As for moi...well, I was hurled across the room and into a wooden beam. Naturally, I was knocked unconscious so I don't remember anything after that and even everything before that is kind of scattered. I woke up the next morning in a Muggle hospital."

Hermione heard Jordan's mother give a soft cry and her father swear under his breath. Aidan was frowning, his face even paler than usual. The girl's grandmother was twisting her hands about nervously.

"Anywhoo, it turns out Caleb was hiding something. Buffy went back for it alone because no one else wanted to go back there. I didn't want to go back, but I really didn't think it was necessary to kick her out of her own house," Jordan told them, her voice filled with disgust.

"Kick her out of her own house?" Aidan repeated quizzically.

Jordan sighed and threw her hands up. "I don't know what they were thinking. Some of the Potentials even entered into the argument, which I thought was incredibly rude and inappropriate. They didn't know Buffy; they didn't know half of what they were talking about, so therefore it wasn't their place to argue. At least, that was my thinking. I mean, Buffy had been really nice to take us all in, protect us, train us and prepare us. I was just happy to be alive, personally. I didn't think about much else. So, I stayed out of it, because...well...what the hell do I know? It wasn't my business."

Jordan had thought it was awfully presumptuous of Rona and Kennedy to rail against Buffy. Although, with Kennedy it didn't really surprise her since she had her pegged as an insolent, spoiled brat from the start. While Jordan's family might be wealthy and powerful, she and her brother were far from spoiled. Her parents' jobs as Aurors were rather gratuitous even. It was more like honoring the bloodline of Firewell, which was steeped in Dark Wizard hunting and defending the helpless—all the way back to before their ancestors came over from the Emerald Isle. It was too bad Jordan lacked some vital Auror traits to live up to the family tradition.

"I guess, by their line of thinking, people aren't supposed to die in wars. They were mostly a bunch of pampered, whiny prissies anyway," Jordan growled bitterly.

"Especially Kennedy," she whispered, too low for anyone save Hermione to pick up.

"Well, Buffy left us, which scared me because I felt safest with her. I mean, Faith's cool, but she's not a leader type. Then everyone started arguing about who should take charge and then votes were brought into the argument. Basically, everything went to hell." Jordan shook her head at the memory.

"What did you do?" Hermione queried. "Did you go after Buffy?"

"Oh hell no, I was too much of a wuss to go out there alone in the middle of the night. I wasn't a Slayer _and _I had just gotten back from the hospital. I mean, I didn't want to get landed in _there_ a second time. No, I just sat on the stairs eating munchies while everyone argued. I figured we were all pretty much doomed after Buffy left anyway. I had been about to go play a video game when the power went out," Jordan said flippantly. "Everyone was leaving Sunnydale by that time. Can't say I blamed them."

"Well, Faith took a group of girls, which I wasn't apart of—thank Merlin—into the sewers. There had been a lot of activity down there and she thought that was the place Caleb was hiding his treasure. Well, they were led into a trap because there was a bomb down there. Lots of girls were killed and Faith was knocked unconscious."

Everyone's reactions were as Jordan expected: outright horror. She nodded and added in a wry voice, "It gets even better! They got attacked by Turok-Han vampires. Ever heard of those?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't," Dumbledore replied.

"Well, they're basically to regular vampires what Neanderthals are to us. I think Mr. Giles put it as the 'vampires that vampires fear.' They're stronger, uglier, and tougher. Holy water and crosses don't affect them. The first one we came across nearly killed Buffy, but she ended up dusting him. They were what the First Evil made its official army out of and there was no way anyone who wasn't a Slayer was going to last against so many of them," Jordan informed them matter-of-factly.

"Well, Buffy had gone back to the vineyard and managed to get the thing Caleb had been hiding. We called it a scythe, which predated any history known to mankind. Caleb had gotten furious over some writings pertaining to the scythe because he wanted it for himself, but it was only for a Slayer to wield. Yeah, I should mention he was an avid hater of women. Thought we were all dirty whores usurping the fruits that belonged to men and so on and so forth. He was a prick. He was none too happy about women with power, like Slayers, either," Jordan said, her expression sour.

"Such a shame," Dumbledore commented, stroking his beard. "Women carry a magic within them that outshines even the most powerful spells. No magic is as great as that which brings forth life."

Jordan along with the other females in the room brightened at the comment and grinned at the wizened headmaster appreciatively.

"Well, Caleb was just...a prick," the girl reiterated.

"Buffy yanked the scythe out of stone like she was King Arthur or something. Pissed Caleb off, I'll bet. And then she walks out of there to save Faith's group from the Ubervamps—what we called the Turok-Hans. The scythe is not only a very cool looking and effective weapon against those creatures, it also proved to be very instrumental in the reason Hermione and I, along with hundreds of other girls, are now Slayers." Jordan nodded her head in Hermione's direction and winked.

"Willow, the resident Wicca, used the scythe to tap into our essences and convert the potential into kinetic, so to speak. It was Buffy's idea since that was the only way we could hope to survive against the Ubervamps. Well, it worked, and…um...here we are," Jordan finished, waving her arms like a true storyteller.

"Performing a spell like that requires an immense amount of power, Miss Firewell. The young lady you speak of must indeed be powerful," Dumbledore noted, looking a bit awed.

Jordan nodded her head vigorously. "Will? She may be the only Wicca I've ever met, but I've no doubt she's probably the most powerful."

Hermione was astounded by this information. The reason she was a Slayer was because of a Muggle woman who practiced Wiccan magic? She had no idea Wiccan magic could make one so powerful. This proved, then, that it had been Wiccan magic that originally created the Slayer ages ago. The young Gryffindor also noticed how Jordan spoke of living with Muggles. She did not speak about with disdain or displeasure; she seriously seemed to have enjoyed some aspects—like munchies and video games, it appeared. Her parents did not seem affronted by their daughter spending months with Muggles. She felt oddly embarrassed that she had automatically begun to fret anxiously over whether or not they would accept her because of her Muggle parentage. She should have known to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, that was a fascinating story. I commend you on your bravery, Miss Firewell. Leaving your home to fight amongst strangers and living in a world that is very different from your own takes a great deal of courage, especially for one so young," Dumbledore told her.

Jordan blushed a bit and murmured, "Um, thanks, Professor."

"I have a proposition for you and your friends who fought beside you," Dumbledore announced, all trace of humor gone.

Professor Tranley seemed to sit up straighter and her placid expression transitioned into a grim facade of dread. Mr. Firewell and his wife clasped each other's hands and exchanged painful glances. Aidan watched his sister closely; his face unreadable, while his grandmother pursed her lips and smoothed her robes.

Hermione noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere of the living room as if an arctic wind had come billowing through. She felt the same sensation of trepidation she imagined everyone else did and she knew what her headmaster was going to request even before he opened his mouth.

"I assume you've been brought up to speed of recent events in the wizarding world?" Dumbledore questioned solemnly.

Jordan nodded her head slowly, her face filled with dismay. "Yeah, I heard. Voldemort's back in business."

Hermione stared at her in surprise. The only people she had heard utter the Dark Lord's name without sounding terrified were Harry, Dumbledore, and Professor Lupin. Most people she knew could not muster up enough courage to say that cursed word. She had been trying in the past few weeks since the Ministry skirmish to say his name with stumbling over the syllables.

"You said his name," Hermione blurted incredulously.

Jordan frowned in confusion. "Yeah. Was I not supposed to?"

Hermione felt her cheeks flame as she stuttered over her words, "It's just...well..._nobody_ says his name, except for a fair few. They always call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." To herself, she was sounding lamer and lamer by the second.

Jordan raised an eyebrow and drawled, very slowly, "Riiiiight." She was obviously missing something here. Then the girl's eyes lit up as she recalled a recent trip to Europe and how some people had referred to the Dark Lord in like fashion. Having been raised in North America where Voldemort's power had not been able to spread yet, she had been raised ignorant of the power of his name. Quite frankly, she could see no reason to be afraid of a name.

"Oh, right. You guys don't call him by his name. Sorry. You'll have to excuse the ignorant Yankee here," Jordan said apologetically.

"No apology is needed. I think everyone should learn to speak his name without fear. Remember what I said, Hermione?" Dumbledore turned to her and raised his eyebrow.

In a small voice, Hermione repeated his astute words, "Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself."

"Yeah, I mean, no offense meant, but how are you supposed to defeat him if you're too afraid to utter his name?" Aidan pointed out.

Hermione had no other response to that except to say shamefully, "You're right."

"It's not that they think you're cowardly, Hermione," Mr. Firewell assured her with an encouraging smile. "They were raised far away from the horrors of Voldemort's supremacy. It just doesn't seem so frightening or so real on the other side of the Atlantic. My wife and I fought over there though; we were among the few Americans that did. I'll admit, _I_ still have trouble saying his name when I recall the terrible things he had done."

"Yeah, and after the Battle of the Hellmouth, I've readjusted my fears," Jordan remarked, touching the shoulder a Turok-Han had bitten into.

Dumbledore laid a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder before bringing the topic back to his request.

"As I was saying, I would like to propose an alliance between the Slayers and the wizarding world. I feel your skills and experience will be invaluable to our cause and I also believe that this reign will be even more terrible than the last. If he gains enough power over in Europe, I believe North America will be the next obstacle he shall try to undertake," the old wizard said grimly.

Jordan gulped and tried to slow the quickened pace of her heartbeat. Her breath hissed through her clenched teeth and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Um, yeah, an alliance sounds like a great idea. Only problem is I'm not the one you should be talking to. I'll help if you need it, but..."

Gesturing his apology, Dumbledore cut her off, "Yes, of course. I was just about to say that. I would like to speak to Miss Summers and her associates as soon as possible. Time is rather against us."

Jordan nodded her head and rose from her seat. "Okay. I've gotta warn you though, they don't know about the wizarding world. They thought I was weird and probably really, _really_ ignorant, but I don't think they found out. The only ones who know are Buffy's watcher, Rupert Giles, and the one who works with Buffy's ex-boyfriend in Los Angeles, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. He's a former watcher."

Jordan's eyes widened when she suddenly remembered who Buffy's ex-boyfriend was. "Oh, and I should probably mention Buffy's ex-boyfriend is—was, actually, Angelus. He's just Angel now since he's got a soul and all. He runs the Hyperion Hotel in LA, which is where they're staying now. Oh, and the Spike guy, he's William the Bloody, but he had a soul and he died at the Hellmouth. Be a bit careful around Buffy about that."

Everyone's jaw-dropping reactions were synchronized and slightly amusing when they realized who Jordan was talking about. Dumbledore removed his half-moon spectacles to gawk at the girl, thinking she had gone mad. Hermione was struck completely speechless.

_Does she mean who I think she means? Please, tell she doesn't mean…_, Hermione mumbled silently.

"Honey, are you talking about Angelus and William the Bloody of the Scourge of Europe? The vampire quartet that terrorized humans for decades?" Mrs. Firewell asked in a strained voice.

Jordan nodded and gave a nervous little laugh. "Yeah, I should probably have explained all that earlier. It's not really my story to tell though except for the fact that they're good guys now. Well, Spike _was_ a good guy."

Dumbledore gave a little laugh, easing the tension that had suddenly sprung up in the room.

"Well, this Angel shall make an excellent ally as well, I hope."

* * *

For those who do not have Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander:

Manticore- Very dangerous Greek beast with head of a man, body of a lion, and tail of scorpion. Croons softly while eating, skin repels all known charms, and sting causes instant death.

Re'em- Rare giant oxen with golden hide found in wild lands of North America and Far East. Its blood gives the drinker immense strength.


	5. Chapter Five

I am on an LOTR high because I saw ROTK Saturday night and it was SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!  Peter Jackson did a brilliant job and I would have no complaints if my friend Amanda wouldn't have kept bugging me for explanations right in the middle of the movie.  

Now I have to wait almost an eternity for the extended edition to come out.  But wow!  That movie was awesome.   Orlando Bloom looks so hot in silver.  And that Eomer, we need to see more of him am I right ladies?  ****

Thanks to becks89, Kristy Marie, Imp17, Eliza Guerin, jeff, and Brutal2003 for reviewing the last chapter.  I am using your suggestion Imp17 so thanks for that too.   

***********************************************************************************************

            During Jordan's stay at the Summers residence she had thought of dozens of different ways to tell the Scoobies and the rest of the slayers about her world.  It hadn't been easy trying to conceal her identity.  She had to basically lie about everything pertaining to her family, friends, home life, and her school life.  She knew that she couldn't, except under extremely special circumstances, tell them about the Wizarding World or show off her powers (her powers didn't work on the hellmouth anyway).  But it was always safe to prepare an explanation just in case.  

            Instead she settled, unintentionally, on the direct approach.  After she flooed from her house to the Hyperion Hotel she rolled out of the fireplace and right into the petite slayer herself.  Both went sprawling to the floor with a whole lot of yelps of surprise.

            "What the hell?" Buffy breathed as she saw that it was Jordan who ran into her.

            "Damn it!  I hate flooing!  I always run into something!" the younger slayer fumed as she got to her feet.

            Buffy was too confused to reply.  _What the hell is flooing and did she just come out of the fireplace?_

            "I am so sorry Buffy.  Are you alright?" Jordan apologized as she held out her hand to help the older slayer up.

            "Where did you-?" Buffy was goggling trying to make some sense out of this.

            Jordan yanked Buffy to her feet and pulled the both of them out of the way as another body came out of the fireplace.  Buffy stared speechlessly as a tall boy stood up.  Unlike Jordan his exiting from the fireplace was rather graceful.  He stood up and shot Jordan and Buffy a smug grin.  _Wow he's hot.  If he were a couple of years older, _Buffy found herself thinking.

            "Showoff." Jordan shot back.

            "What the?  How?" the blonde slayer asked over.  

            Aidan joined the two girls and held his hand out to Buffy.  She didn't sense any evil oozing off of him.  He didn't register on the completely normal scale however.  Appearing out of nowhere from a fireplace tended to place people in the non-normal category.  She could always sense something different about Jordan.  It was completely different than all the other potentials, or now slayers.  Buffy knew Jordan wasn't exactly all she appeared to be.  She knew she was special.  And now she was getting the exact same feeling from this boy.

            "I'm Aidan.  Jordan's twin." he said while shaking Buffy's hand.

            "Hi.  I'm Buffy.  Twin?" she turned to Jordan.

            Jordan nodded her head.  And then Buffy saw the amazing resemblance between the two.  Same auburn hair, same fair complexion, same honey eyes, same facial features.

            "Where's everyone else?" Jordan asked her brother.

            "Don't know.  I hope they got the directions right." he replied.

            "Everyone else?  What do you mean?  Are there more people coming out of there?" Buffy inquired while gesturing towards the fireplace.

            "Buffy everyone is accounted for except for-hey there you are!" 

            Everyone swiveled their heads around towards the doorway and saw Dawn and Angel standing there.  

            "Who are you?" Angel asked Aidan.

            Jordan was about to answer when another person came out of the fireplace.  It was Hermione.  She dusted herself off and immediately let out a sigh of relief when she saw Aidan and Jordan.

            "I was afraid I might've said the address wrong." she said breathlessly.  "Hello, my name is Hermione Granger." she said to Buffy, Dawn, and Angel.

            Buffy who had already seen a person come out of the fireplace shook Hermione's hand and introduced herself.  Dawn and Angel just stood in the doorway temporarily rendered speechless with shock.  Angel was first to recover.

            "Did anyone else notice that she just came out of the fireplace?" he asked.

            "Yeah I'll get around to explaining that.  Where are the others?" Jordan asked Hermione.

            "I imagine they are probably apparating.  Too many people trying to floo to the same place can create havoc." Hermione answered.

            Jordan crossed her arms across her chest and stamped her foot.  _That is so not fair._

            Screams were heard from the lobby and all six of the occupants forgot the fireplace incident and ran to see what the matter was.

            They were met halfway by Andrew who looked even paler than usual and he had sweat pouring down his face.

            "Buffy!  People!  People with robes!  They just popped in the lobby out of nowhere!" he cried between gasps for breaths.

            "Oh crap." Aidan muttered.

            "Oh they aren't dangerous.  They're just mine and Aidan's parents and grandmother and two professors." Jordan explained.

            "Well you had better hurry before Kennedy introduces them to the pointy end of her sword." Andrew said.

            "Oh dear." Hermione murmured as Jordan and Aidan took off with lightning speed.

            They came across to what appeared to be chaos in the lobby.  Two men and three women were trying to fend off some girls that were attacking them.  The Firewell twins came to their rescue and managed to wrestle them off.  Jordan gave Kennedy, who had her mother in an arm lock, a good solid punch right in the face that sent her flying across the room.  Okay so maybe that had been a tad unnecessary but it felt good.  Jordan never liked Kennedy to begin with.

            "Hey!  Everyone stop!  Stand down!" Buffy's surprisingly loud voice from someone so small bellowed.

            The slayers backed off the five strange adults, but kept in their defensive positions.  

            Professor Dumbledore straightened out his robes and looked around.

            "Strange.  I had meant to apparate behind the building." he remarked.

            "I am so sorry Professor Dumbledore.  They're all a little paranoid.  Recent events and all." Jordan apologized.

            "Oh it's quite alright.  No harm done.  I am actually rather impressed." he said.

            "Are you guys alright?" Aidan inquired with concern.

            The rest of the group seemed a little shaken up, but for the most part unharmed.  Jordan's mother's arm was a little sore making Jordan shoot Kennedy a deathglare.  

            Kennedy was helped to her feet by Willow and she had a bloody nose.  Jordan grinned inwardly at that.  _I have been waiting months to do that._

            "What the hell did you do that for?" Kennedy spewed indignantly.

            "Because you were hurting my mother's arm you twit!" the auburn-haired slayer replied angrily.

            "Mother?" a slayer known as Vi in confusion.

            "Yeah this is my mom, Aurora Firewell.  My dad," she pointed to the tall middle-aged man in gray robes, "Gabriel Firewell." she gestured to the short, plump elderly woman in green robes, "my grandmother, Elizabeth Firewell." she pointed to the remaining adults, "the woman is the headmistress of my school, Professor Tranley, and the man is Professor Dumbledore of Hogwarts in Scotland.  He's this girl here, Hermione Granger's, headmaster."

            "What about me?" Aidan asked.

            "Oh no one cares about you." Jordan joked.

            On the contrary all the girls in the room, with the exception of Kennedy and Willow, seemed to care very much.  They couldn't seem to keep their eyes off of him for more than ten seconds.  Jordan saw that they were staring at her brother with the same "googly eyes" (as Spike had called it) that she had seen when they saw pictures of that handsome actor, Orlando Bloom.  For once Jordan was not apart of the dreamy-eyed staring.  Aidan seemed to be oblivious to it all.  _What a dope, _she thought with affection.

            "This is my twin _brother_, Aidan." she said with extra emphasis on the brother part.

            Giles and Wesley were approaching Jordan.

            "Jordan, would you mind explaining to us why your family and the rest of these people are here?  And why they came here the way they did." Wesley asked nervously.

            "Yeah, I'm kinda thinking that would be a good idea." Buffy said sternly.

            "Ugh explaining again.  I've been doing that all morning.  Okay.  Buffy, the rest of you guys, I'm not really from your world per se.  I mean I'm human and all and I was born on this planet and in this country in the state of Montana.  You see we, as in all the people I've introduced including me, are witches and wizards." she paused to let them take it in.

            "You mean like Willow?" another slayer, Shannon, asked.

            "No.  Willow is a Wicca.  Wicca is a name for a Muggle with magical powers.  She draws upon the magic around her; nature and stuff.  We draw upon the magic within us and channel it through wands." she told them.

            "I knew it!  I knew I could sense something from within you.  I just didn't know what it was." the said redheaded Wicca exclaimed.

            Professor Dumbledore didn't seem to be hearing any of what was being said.  He was staring at Dawn with a strange expression on his face that changed into understanding.  He smiled at her and she warmed at the twinkling of his eyes.  He reminded her of her grandfather.

            "Okay okay.  So you guys are witches and wizards.  What are you all doing here and how come I didn't know about your world?" Buffy asked.

            "Only a select few Muggles, our word for non-magical folk such as yourselves, are made privy to our existence." the redheaded woman said.

            "And just who are these select few?" Buffy asked.

            "Well the parents of Muggle-born witches and wizards to begin with.  Some government leaders are told to prevent panic whenever something you might deem strange occurs, and of course all members of the Watcher's Council." Professor Tranley said.

            "What!? Giles you knew about this?" Buffy cried.

            Giles blanched at the tone of accusation in his charge's voice. 

            "I was sworn to secrecy Buffy.  We all were.  I am only allowed to speak of their existence in company under extreme circumstances which never came up." he explained.

            Buffy softened at that.  She was a little hurt that Giles had kept this from her for the seven years she had known him.  But he did have a point.

            "I could explain more about our world, but unfortunately that isn't why we're here." Jordan said. "Professor Dumbledore, you have the mike."

            "First I want to shake hands with this brave young woman.  You are actually known in our world Miss Summers.  The slayer who has twice risen above death." 

            Buffy felt heat rush to her face and she tried to hide the fact that she was blushing as she shook the man's hand.

            "I'm famous?" she asked in a daze.

            "Twice risen above death?  When did this happen?" Jordan said then she waved it away. "Not important now."

            "I have come to ask of your help Miss Summers and the rest of your brave slayers.  Miss Firewell was kind enough to explain how every potential was activated.  I do realize that all of you are probably exhausted and tired of fighting, but we are desperate." he said.

            "What do you need us for?" the small slayer asked.

            "A dark wizard by the name of Voldemort has arisen again.  He was in a dormant state, if you will call it that, for thirteen years.  I will tell you the story about that later.  He rose last year, but made his presence known but a few weeks ago.  If he emerges from this upcoming war victorious both our worlds are in grave danger." he said seriously.

            Giles and Wesley paled when Dumbledore said that.  They knew of this Voldemort and what he had done; what he was capable of.

            "So you're asking for some sort of alliance?" Xander asked.

            "Precisely.  Mr.-" 

            "Harris.  Alexander Harris.  You can call me Xander." Xander walked up to the tall old man and shook his hands.

            "So Miss Summers and the rest of you slayers.  Will you help us?" Professor Tranley asked.

            All the girls looked at each other and looked back at the group of witches and wizards.  Dawn had made her way beside her sister and slipped her hand in hers supportively.

            "I don't know if we can.  We just got back from a battle that literally sunk my town.  And now there are slayers all over the world we need to find.  Plus I don't think these girls are up to it." Buffy finally answered.

            "Buffy I know this is a lot to ask.  But, you see Voldemort hates you guys.  He hates Muggles and Muggle-borns and he is prepared to wipe you all out.  I don't know if the Wizarding World will be able to stop him alone." Jordan said.

            "He would attack this world too?" Angel asked.

            "He already has, we have just covered it up.  He has many followers; they're called Death Eaters.  They specialize in the area of torturing and murdering innocent people, mostly Muggles." Aidan told them.

            This changed things.  At first Buffy thought it was just the Wizarding World at stake and she didn't want leave her post as defender of this world to help defend theirs.  True there were now many defenders of this world, but she was the most experienced.  

            "Well when you put it that way, I'm sorta obligated to help you.  Sacred duty to mankind and all." Buffy laughed nervously at the last thing she said.

            "I'll help too." Angel said.

            "If Angel is in we're in too." Gunn said as Fred and Wesley nodded their agreement.

            "I'm with Buffy." Xander said.

            "Me too." Willow said which made Kennedy glare.

            "I shall do whatever I can to help you." Giles said. 

            "Well of course I'm in." Dawn proclaimed.

            Jordan, Hermione, Aidan, and the adults smiled gratefully and thanked them.  Now they just had to get the other girls to help.

            "I'm sure Faith and Robin would help too.  We'll have to talk to them." Buffy said.

            "And Lorne will probably help." Fred pointed out.

            "We will assist you in finding all those slayers quickly.  You may even use Hogwarts as a training facility." Professor Dumbledore offered.

            "You may also use my school.  Cristallon School of Magic in Washington State." Professor Tranley chimed.

            "Training facilities.  Yeah we're gonna need those.  Thanks." Buffy said.

            "What about the rest of you?" Hermione spoke for the first time in front of all these people.

            The dozen or so slayers that had escaped the battle of the hellmouth more or less unscathed shifted uneasily.  Did they want to get involved in another war?

            "If you don't want to they will understand.  And you will most likely not be thought cowardly of in any way.  And you can back out at any time." Jordan said.

            At this some of the slayers relaxed and proclaimed their agreement in allying with the Wizarding World.  Others said they would think about it and a few flat out refused.  One of the few who refused was Kennedy.  

            "Hell no.  I got what I wanted.  Why should I risk my life anymore?" the dark-haired slayer said before stomping out of the lobby leaving a stunned and stricken Willow behind.

            Jordan shook her head and muttered something that sounded a lot like _bitch_ under her breath.  How could someone as sweet and cool as Willow end up with someone like Kennedy?  Dawn had told her about Willow's late girlfriend Tara and even though Jordan never met the girl she could tell she would've liked her.

            An eerie silence followed after Kennedy's rude departure.  Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands together to break the silence.

            "Who's hungry?"

            Jordan and Xander raised their hands.

***********************************************************************************************

 I just want to make clear to those that haven't yet gotten it that Giles and Wesley _are not_ wizards.  I just made it so that all members of the Watcher's Council knew about the Wizarding World in the case of a witch being a slayer.  And of course they're all sworn to secrecy.  

I hope all the Kennedy haters enjoyed the bashing.  Kinda makes you wish you were Jordan at the time huh?  Well please R&R!


	6. Chapter Six

I love you guys!  I love opening my inbox to find reviews.  Hope all you guys are having wonderful holidays and I would suggest seeing ROTK to make the holidays even better.  If you've already seen it, heck, see it again!  I knew all you Kennedy haters would love the part about Kennedy getting decked.  Now for responses to my readers.

**Kristy Marie:** Yes it is possible that there are more witches and wizards that had been living on the hellmouth, but they've all split so I really don't think there is a part for them in the story.  Glad you liked the last chapter.

**Black Rose9: **Dawn is going to be a witch.  She should've been noticed beforehand, but the hellmouth interfered.  

**Lila: **Thanks for reading and reviewing and I'm happy to know you like the story.  I hope you enjoy what I have in store.

**Susan: **I liked how you pointed out the slayers being human vs. their callings.  I was originally going to have them all jump in the bandwagon like you said and follow Buffy into battle, but I had to take into account that these aren't just humans, they're 21st century teenage girls.  Some probably just wanna get back to their lives now that the threat from the First is over with.  I kinda had to put myself in their shoes.  Most, however, will stand beside Buffy and fight and those that are iffy will probably stay behind and defend the Muggle world.  And yes break-up between Willow and Kennedy coming up.  

**becks89: **I thought making Jordan's brother a hottie might serve well for humor in the future.  Dumbledore does know Dawn is the Key; he seems to know just about everything else so I thought hell why not that too.  I am a little unsure about the pairings.  I know a lot of people like the idea of Hermione and Draco, which I have no problem with and I know a lot of people like the idea of Hermione and Ron.  Hell I think I'll just make a love triangle to serve as an angsty subplot.  I am almost positive Dawn and Harry will get together since they have so much in common.  The adults will take some thinking.  I don't know who to put Jordan and Aidan with though.  A little help with the pairings is welcome.  Glad you enjoyed the Orlando Bloom pic thing.  He is so hot! 

**NoAlias: **Thanks for the reviewing and I'm glad you like my characters too.  I was originally going to have Jordan be some messed up witch with a hellish past so she was gonna be all closed up and broody, but I figured we've seen plenty of that and decided to create a person who had a fun and happy past and not a lot of experience in the emotional pain area.  And you're right, I have no idea where this story is going.  Well that's not true; I have a vague idea, just no definite shape to it.  I'm pretty much writing as I think it up.  As for the Spike thing:  Well I'm not bringing back Anya or Tara, but Spike's a vamp which means whole different set of rules.  I'll have to see how the story goes.   

Feel free to email me and im me whenever.  And I'm a big girl I can take flames, just please have justifiable reasons for the flames and don't be surprised if I flame back.

***********************************************************************************************        

            "You know what, I think I'm gonna like hanging out with witches and wizards." Buffy said between mouthfuls of chicken that Dumbledore had conjured up with his wand.

            "Yeah.  This food is delicious and it pops out of nowhere.  That's the best kind!" Xander agreed.

            Everyone else was seated at the tables that Professor Tranley had conjured eating the large lunch Professor Dumbledore had provided.  Aidan declined eating for now stating that he had already eaten.  Jordan immediately dug in.  

            "You know if she keeps eating so much she'll lose that figure of hers." Hermione warned Aidan.

            "Nah not Jordan.  She's got one of those perfect metabolisms." he said.

            "Really?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

            "Yeah.  She ate for almost twelve hours straight once and I swore she actually lost weight.  Plus she does a lot of exercise.  Ever since she was eight she has been doing martial arts, fencing, gymnastics; training in case she became the slayer.  Both of us are in the wandless defense class in school.  Naturally she's at the top, but I'm a close second." he explained.

            "Your school offers wandless defense classes?" Hermione's eyes widened.

            "Yeah.  I think all the American and Canadian schools do.  Real useful if you lose your wand." he said casually.

            "That's a good idea.  I wonder why we don't have one." she said.

            Aidan shrugged his shoulders.

            "Maybe because this continent has like four, well three now, hellmouths.  Does Britain have any hellmouths?" he asked.

            "I don't think the British Isles do but I know there is one in France and a few in Asia.  Is it true that a hellmouth interferes with the magic of witches and wizards?" she asked.

            "Yeah.  We can only do the most simplest spells on the weakest ones and then there's the Bermuda Triangle where our magic doesn't work at all." he told her.

            "Interesting.  I'll have to read up on that." she said thoughtfully.

            Dawn was sitting beside Jordan and she was grilling her on questions about the Wizarding World.

            "So can you like turn people into frogs?" Dawn asked with excitement.

            "Yeah right.  As good as I am at Transfiguration I'd probably turn them inside out instead." Jordan said.

            "Wow." Dawn said.

            "I'm okay at the other brands of magic though.  I'm not the best in classes, except for wandless defense class, but I have an advantage.  Oh and Potions Class, I'm a natural at Potions.  I even make my own, although I have to keep redoing it over and over to get it right." she said.

            One of the slayers approached Jordan and sat down beside her.  She was twisting her hands as if she were very nervous about something.  Jordan had a good idea what she was going to ask.

            "Um Jordan, is your brother you know.....seeing anyone?" the girl asked timidly.

            Jordan groaned.  This was like the fifth time one of those girls had asked her about her brother.  It was becoming annoying.  She was this close to telling the next person that asked that he was gay and had a boyfriend waiting at home just to mess with their heads.  But then Aidan probably wouldn't appreciate that. 

            "He sees lots of people.  In fact I bet he's seeing a whole bunch of people right now." Jordan said sarcastically.

            "Jordan!" Dawn squealed.

            "I'm sorry it's just everyone has been asking me that.  This is the last time I'm going to answer.  No, as far as I know he does not have a girlfriend.  But you had better get in line because there are tons of girls at our school that are just waiting to sink their teeth into him." she said, then she grimaced and added, "Metaphorically speaking of course."

            The girl nodded and backed away.

            "Is he really that popular?" Dawn asked.

            "Yeah, I used to think he did love spells or love potions, but Potions isn't his thing.  He's the Charms and Magical Creatures guy.  Plus he's way too nice to trick girls into falling in love with him.  No, he's just your regular run-of-the-mill heartthrob." Jordan shrugged her shoulders and continued munching on her sandwich.

            "What about you?  Are you a hit with the guys?" Dawn grinned when she asked that.

            Jordan stopped munching and contemplated on how to answer that.  She had lots of guy friends, more than she had girl friends.  She had dated a couple of guys here and there.  She had not, however, been in a steady relationship with a boy.  She didn't see anything wrong with it; it was just she couldn't find any guy _to_ have a steady relationship with.  It was fine with Jordan, she had her brother and her father.  Not many more men she needed than those two right now.  But it would be nice, to have someone (other than family) to love her.

            "Well I know a lot of guys like me that way, but my brother scares them off and I scare them off." she replied.

            "Aidan scares them off?" Dawn said skeptically.

            "He doesn't do anything, or at least I don't think he does anything.  It's more that they _think_ he will come after them if they ask me out.  The over-protective big brother thing.  They don't know it, but I could do more damage to them than he could.  And I scare them off because I'm the top of the wandless defense class and I have always been able to handle myself.  Except with worms and vomit.  I have a worm complex and I can't stand vomit.  Well who can?  But I'm really bad about it.  Blood and entrails I can handle which is weird, but show me a pile of vomit and I'll go all woozy on you, same thing with worms." she had suppressed a shudder and put down her sandwich.

            "_You are afraid of worms?" Dawn nearly laughed at the absurdity of it that this girl, who fought valiantly against Ubervamps was creeped out by something as trivial as worms._

            "It's not funny!  Okay it is kinda funny when I think about it from your perspective.  I just cannot stand the sight of them and they make that disgusting sound when they're squished and I'm going to shut up now before I lose my lunch." she took a couple of deep breaths and resumed eating.

            "I'm sorry.  Are you okay?" Dawn asked with concern.

            "It's okay.  I just need to steer away from that topic." Jordan assured her.

            "Okay then, tell me more about your world."

***********************************************************************************************

            Willow excused herself from lunch right before everyone began their seconds.  Funny how nearly getting killed can make people so hungry.  She would've loved to stay and eaten and just enjoyed pleasant conversation with her friends.  And she definitely wanted to know more about Jordan and the Wizarding World.  But a certain dark-haired slayer was plaguing her thoughts.  She had been completely shocked and outraged by Kennedy's response to being asked to help fight this new evil and it stung Willow very deeply.  Had the power of a slayer been the only thing she had wanted all along?  Did their relationship really mean nothing to Kennedy?

            The redheaded Wicca knocked on the door of the room the two had stayed in.  She could sense Kennedy's essence from within, but she felt it would be politer to knock.  Kennedy didn't answer, so Willow let herself in.  She found her girlfriend packing away what few belongings she had brought from the hellmouth.

            "So that's it?  You're just gonna leave?  Were you even planning on telling me or were you just gonna wait until you were about 3000 miles away and send me a postcard?" Willow asked trying and failing to mask the hurt in her voice.

            "Come on Will.  You really didn't think I was gonna stayed tied down were you?  I am done with this stupid save-the-world fiasco.  I have the power now and I don't need you guys anymore." Kennedy replied icily.

            "I-I thought we-" Willow's voice was breaking as she struggled to hold back tears.  Crying was something she could not do in front of her.

            "What?  That we were in love?  Aww gee Will, that's so sweet." Kennedy cooed mock-sweetly. "Listen, you're a nice girl and pretty good in the sack, but you didn't actually think we were going anywhere did you?  I just happed to get a little antsy while I was with you guys and you happened to be in the right place at the right time.  In my case anyway."

            Willow couldn't believe she was hearing this.  Kennedy had used her?  Their whole relationship was a joke?  Everything that they had been through and said and felt was a joke?  The words uttered by her soon to be ex-girlfriend hit the young woman hard.  They broke her heart and stepped on the shards repeatedly.  

            Willow tried to speak, but she couldn't make any lucid sounds right about now.  All she could manage to do was hold back the wave of sobs that was coming.

            "Aww are you gonna start blubbering now?" Kennedy scorned.  "I'm outta here."

            Kennedy walked to the doorway and came face to face with Buffy, who didn't look too happy.

            "You're not just gonna leave like that are you?  First you will apologize to her and then you will let the door hit you on the ass on your way out." the blonde slayer said in a deadly voice.

            Buffy hadn't meant to eavesdrop.  Slayer ears were so sensitive and on her way to find Kennedy herself she had heard every word of their conversation.

            "I have nothing to apologize about.  Get out of my way!" Kennedy yelled.

            Buffy didn't budge.  She wasn't the least bit afraid of Kennedy.  She knew she could take her and pretty much any other slayer in a fight.  Eight years of experience gave her an edge.

            "Buffy just let her go.  I don't want an apology.  I just want her gone." Willow whispered.

            Buffy grudgingly stepped aside.

            "I am doing this for Willow's sake and for her sake only.  But if I ever, _ever see you again I will personally set your ass up an appointment with my foot." the slayer warned._

            Fear shone in Kennedy's eyes, but she didn't say anything.  She just turned on her heels and strode down the corridor.

            "Good riddance." Buffy muttered.

            Willow sat on the bed with her head in her hands.  Buffy immediately wrapped her arms around her best friend and let the young woman sob in her lap.

            "I know Will.  But trust me, you're better off without her." Buffy soothed while stroking Willow's hair.

            Willow just sat there and cried.  How could she have been so stupid?  How could she have fallen for that?  Hadn't she learned from the Buffy-Parker incident?  

            After Willow felt like she had cried herself out she dried her eyes and finally pulled herself up.

            "Feeling a bit better?" Buffy asked.

            "Not really.  I'm just so angry with myself.  How could I not have seen it coming?" Willow said.

            "Will, she had everyone fooled.  Well I never liked her, but I thought that it was just me.  I never thought she would hurt you." Buffy said.

            Willow nodded her head and strayed into her pensive state.  The silence unnerved Buffy a bit.

            "You're not having murderous urges are you?  Not planning on calling on a vengeance demon or anything?  Cause that would not be of the good." Buffy said nervously..

            "No." Willow mumbled.  "Not yet."

            "Well that's a good sign."

***********************************************************************************************

Yay!  Kennedy's gone!  Now I can make a new girlfriend for Willow or use an OC of Whedon's or Rowling's, but I'm thinking I will create her myself.  She's probably gonna be a witch though.  I will do Willow justice and not allow her to fall in love so easily.  Yeah it's gonna be tricky.  

                        ****


	7. Chapter Seven

Happy Holidays to all!  I hope you all got wonderful presents!  "Santa" a.k.a. my dad got me all LOTR stuff.  Gee isn't he smart?  I want to thank all my wonderful reviewers for giving me suggestions and compliments.  You guys are my Xmas angels.  I wasn't an angel this year, I was the insane elf according to my sister during present wrapping for the young ones. 

**RE16:** Maybe Willow will end up with Tonks.  The two do seem so cool together, but we'll have to see how the story evolves.

**Anna Darnell:** Interesting point and brilliant insight you make.  (Christ I sound like Yoda).  I did actually comment to one of my friends about Buffy and Willow ever having a thing.  But I don't think that it's for my story to make the two come together.  It _would _make a cool sub-plot and the twitchiness and embarrassment would be funny.  Thanks for the suggestion anyway and anymore would be appreciated.  

**Incepte:** I'm sorry I wouldn't feel right bringing back Tara.  But like Anna Darnell said I can have her attempt to bring back Tara.

**Jillian Ryn: **Wow.  I almost stopped breathing when I read your review.  I'm flattered.  Thanks for the raving review.  Not that I'm against B/A, but I am not too crazy about it.  Besides I don't think it would work in this story.  It won't be a Spuffy thing either.  Dawn and Aidan would make a cute pair and Jordan and Harry, I'll have to contemplate on that one.  Thanks for the suggestions.  And I do care about the opinions of my readers.  Feedback always makes the writing so much better.

**Pam:** We'll see some revengy Willow stuff later.  Glad you like Jordan and Aidan.  I'm kinda fond of them myself.  They're quite a pair and just wait to see what I have in store.  Jordan was kind of inspired by my friend Sara.  She rambles a lot and has a worm complex, I'm the one with the vomit complex.  Aidan, um, I just thought him up.

**Kristy Marie: **Good suggestions you make (Cripes there I go again!).  I always like Buffy paired with one of the older Weasley boys.  It would be cool if she could have them both.  I was actually going toward a Ginny/Aidan pairing myself.  Jordan is turning out to be very hard to place.  But thanks anyway.  

Here's chapter number seven!  Thanks for the support!

***********************************************************************************************

            Word of Kennedy's departure spread like wildfire sending many sympathetic girls to Willow's room.  She had spent most of her day in there with Xander, Buffy, or Dawn as comfort. 

            "Lousy bitch.  Why did you let her go Buffy?  I didn't even get a chance to give her an empty threat." Xander fumed.

            "Um Xander, she's a slayer.  She woulda kicked your ass." Buffy pointed out.

            "I know, but you woulda been there to save me.  And besides, I said an empty threat." he said.

            "Oh that's so sweet Xander." Willow sniffed.

            "Just looking out for my Willow." he said affectionately as he hugged her.

            Some of the other girls that refused to help fight also left.  After everyone had their fill on the scrumptious lunch, Professor Dumbledore cleared it all away with a flick of his wand.  Then he proceeded in explaining the direness of the situation with Voldemort and Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived.  The story of that poor boy losing his parents when he was just a baby won the hearts of many of the girls.  Jordan thought it was pretty clever of Professor Dumbledore to use the pity factor.

            She found herself always surrounded by people now asking her questions about what it was like being a witch, if her brother was available, if she knew any spells to remove pimples.  It was a little overwhelming and she felt she liked being the weird one they barely talked to better.  At least people let her alone once in a while.

            After many of the girls formally agreed to aid Dumbledore in anyway they could Jordan thought she was free to go home for a little while and catch up on schoolwork, but the adults weren't done with her yet.

            She found herself in a conference room with her family, Professor Tranley, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore, Buffy, Willow, Giles, Wesley, Angel, Dawn, and Xander.

            "So what's up?  We aren't discussing battle plans are we?  Because I really don't think I could help in that aspect.  Planning isn't my thing." she said.

            "No.  Professor Dumbledore and I have actually spoken about this during lunch and we wanted to know your thoughts on the subject.  We did not think it was necessary for everyone else to hear." Professor Tranley stated.

            "Miss Firewell, would you be willing to come to Hogwarts and serve as a protector for Harry Potter?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

            "Uhhh.  Bodyguard work?  Why does Harry need protecting?  I mean I know Voldemort was defeated by him and all, but he isn't in to petty revenge is he?" Jordan asked.

            Professor Dumbledore sighed and grimly told her of the prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Voldemort.  When she heard how only one could live and would have to kill the other one in order _to_ live, it pulled at her heartstrings.  

            "Oh poor guy!  That sucks." she murmured.

            "It is not the only reason I ask you to come.  I also have a feeling that whatever battles Voldemort has planned will happen near or at the school since Harry Potter does indeed attend it.  That is why a good portion of the slayers will be training at Hogwarts.  I feel it would be beneficial to the students as well." Dumbledore said.

            Jordan chewed on her lip as she ran through the pros and cons.  She was flattered to be asked to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  That school was world renown.  _But being a bodyguard, am I up to that?_  From what she could tell by the prophecy, Harry was pretty damn important.  More important than her which meant if the situation came up it would be better for the world for her to die than him.  She could protect him, but die for him?  _Well Jordan, look at the bright side, you wouldn't have to do the Transfiguration homework._  _This is crazy!  I should be willing to sacrifice my life, I'm a slayer damn it!  It's what slayers do!  Yeah, but I'm also only 16.  But you didn't take your age into consideration when you went to fight on the hellmouth and you weren't even a slayer then.  You just dove right into the heat of the battle.   _She was about to say no to Dumbledore's request and deal with the consequences of her guilt later, but the wiring between her brain and her mouth got mixed up like it usually does and she found herself saying,

            "Yes.  I'll go." _Now you're in for it genius!  You can't back down now!  Well hell, you already know you're in the fight might as well put yourself on the front lines._

"Are you sure?" her mother asked.

            Jordan nodded.

            "Then I'm going too.  I've already been separated from my sister for four months.  If she goes, I go.  I'm am a good fighter and someone needs to keep her in line." Aidan said with a determined edge to his voice, but everyone could detect the laughter behind it.

            "What is that supposed to mean?" Jordan said crossing her arms.          

"I thought as much, Professor Tranley warned me about that.  Yes, you may come as well." Professor Dumbledore said.

            "Okay so Jordan and Aidan are going to your school.  I still don't see what this has to do with us." Buffy noted; referring to the Muggles in the room.

            "Ah yes.  I would like Miss Summers, meaning Dawn,  to attend Hogwarts as well.  She should've been notified of the power she has years ago, but I fear living on the hellmouth interfered with the Wizarding World detecting it.  I feel her power has something to do with her..._uniqueness._" Professor Dumbledore stressed the last word because he didn't want to let slip about Dawn being the Key to those that didn't already know.

            Buffy, Willow, Giles, and Dawn caught the double meaning.  _He knows she's the Key!_Buffy thought incredulously.  She doubted that any of them told him.  None of them would be that stupid, unless Andrew let it slip.  _I'll kill him if he did tell him._

            The rest of the group was left hanging.  What made Dawn so unique?  Xander knew about her being the Key, but he didn't catch the double meaning.  Jordan and Hermione both were dying to ask about it, but they kept their mouths firmly shut; a bit of a feat for Jordan in particular.

            "So you want me to come and learn how to be witch?" Dawn asked hopefully.

            "You have some catching up to do, but yes." Dumbledore said kindly.

            "Oh speaking of catching up, you do know I have like four months of schoolwork to make up?" Jordan spoke up sheepishly.

            "Not to worry Miss Firewell.  We will have teachers help both you and Miss Summers to catch up." Professor Dumbledore told her.

            "Oh okay." Jordan said.

            "Buffy, we do realize you are the legal guardian of your sister so Dawn will need your permission to attend Hogwarts." Professor Tranley said.

            Dawn gave her sister the most hopeful, pleading face she could muster.  

            "Please?" she pleaded.

            "Well if it's what she wants to do, then I don't see why not.  The only thing I want to know is how safe will she be there?" Buffy asked.

            "Hogwarts is one of the most safest places in the Wizarding World I assure you Miss Summers.  If you want, you may head the slayer training facility there.  That way you may remain close to your sister." Professor Dumbledore told her.

            "That would be nice.  Thank you." Buffy said.

            Hermione was starting to like this idea more and more.  Aidan and Jordan seemed like very nice people and good friendship material despite the fact they had a house elf.   Dawn seemed like a nice girl too.  Hermione loved Harry and Ron dearly, but she was sorely lacking in the female friends department.  Sometimes there are things a girl just can't tell boys.  Well there was Ginny, but these girls were her own age.  And Jordan was just like her; a slayer and a witch.  

            "Well I suppose everything is settled.  I am going to go home now.  It was nice to have met you all.  Jordan, Aidan, I will arrange for both of your records to be sent to Hogwarts.  We will miss you at Cristallon." Professor Tranley said then she left the room.

            "We had better get back to work Angel.  It was nice to have finally met you Professor Dumbledore.  I had heard so much about you." Wesley said.

            "Likewise Mr. Wyndam-Pryce.  Thank you and you too Mr. Angel for helping us." Professor Dumbledore replied.

            Wesley and Angel left and Xander, Willow, and Giles said their goodbyes and followed.  

            "Faith said she was coming to the Hyperion Hotel with Robin and some other slayers tomorrow.  She's pretty excited about meeting you." Buffy told Professor Dumbledore.

            "Good." he said.

            "I guess Dawn and I will be spending the summer at Hogwarts." Jordan said.

            "I'm afraid so." Professor Dumbledore smiled apologetically.

            "Cool!  A whole summer and school year at a magic school!" Dawn squealed with delight.

            Jordan smiled at her friend's enthusiasm.  She, however, was not so excited at the prospect.  Having been in a magic school since she was eleven kind of put a damper in her going to Hogwarts.  It was still new territory though.  She had been to Scotland before, but never to Hogwarts.  It was hidden like all other magic schools of course.  _A whole summer spent in school though.  What did I do to deserve this?_  Hermione noticed her glum mood.

            "Don't worry.  There's a nice all-Wizarding village nearby.  It's called Hogsmeade.  And Hogwarts is an amazing school." she assured her fellow slayer.

            Jordan brightened at that.  She'd been to Hogsmeade before, but she never knew Hogwarts was so close.  

            "Cool." she said thoughtfully.

            "Professor Dumbledore, I wanted to know if you and Miss Granger would join us for dinner at our home.  It would be nice to have you.  And of course you Miss Summers, and your sister would be invited.  Your friends may attend as well.  It would be nice to get to know you all better.  My daughter has written so many good things about you in her letters." Mrs. Firewell offered.

            "Wow!  Eating at a witch's house.  This is so cool!" Dawn squealed again.

            Jordan really liked that idea.  _Maybe we can have a sleepover. _

            "I will have to accept a rain-check on that one Aurora.  Thank you anyway, but there are matters I must attend to at home." Professor Dumbledore declined.

            "Hermione?  Whaddya say?" Jordan nudged the girl.

            "Oh, well I will have to stop at my parents first and tell them.  But I would like that." she said.

            She felt it would have been rude to say no, even though the family had a house elf probably serving and cooking the dinner.

            "Uh yeah sure.  That would be nice.  Thank you." Buffy said.

            Professor Dumbledore stood up to his full tall height.

            "It has been the utmost pleasure making all your acquaintances.  I can see we will work well together.  Good-bye for now." he said and then he popped out of sight.

            Buffy and Dawn jumped when he just disapparated like that.

            "I guess we have to get used to that." Buffy mumbled.

            Jordan was staring at the spot Dumbledore had been enviously.  _Lucky guy._

            "C'mon.  We gotta show you guys how to floo." Aidan said to Buffy and Dawn.

            "Oh boy." his sister muttered.

*********************************************************************************************** 

As a Xmas treat I have put in another chapter.  The Scoobies and the Firewell twins will soon be at Hogwarts and at Phoenix HQ so they will get to meet with the rest of the HP gang.  I'm going to have them rescue Harry from the Dursleys a little early.  Let us see how chemistry arises shall we? 


	8. Chapter Eight

Here's the chapter eight.  Hope you all enjoy it!

***********************************************************************************************

            "Whoa!  That was so cool!" Dawn sputtered as Aidan helped her to her feet after rolling out of the Firewell fireplace.

            "Really?" Jordan asked skeptically.

            "Yeah!  I wanna do it again!" she exclaimed.

            "I guess it's cool the first time around.  After the third time it gets old and boring and tedious." Jordan mumbled.

            Buffy came gracefully out of the fireplace and immediately got to her feet mid-roll.  

            "That was bracing." she remarked breathlessly.

            Xander came tumbling out right afterwards and Buffy had to catch him before he ran into the couch.  He stood up shakily and shook the soot off of him.

            "I think I'm gonna be sick." he put his hand over his mouth.

            Jordan turned pale and started backing out of the living room in case he had to toss his cookies.

            "Floo-sickness.  It happens." Aidan said casually as he handed Xander a green vial.

            "What's this?" Buffy asked.

            'It's a potion to get rid of the Floo-sickness.  My sister made it for our cousin, Luke.  He used to suffer from Floo-sickness real bad.   Now he can apparate so he doesn't have to floo." Aidan said.

            "Give it to me." Xander snatched the vial out of Aidan's hand and gulped it down.

            It worked instantaneously as color returned to Xander's face and he stopped breathing so hard.

            "Wow.  It tastes good too." he commented.

            Giles stepped out of the fireplace and brushed himself off.

            "Interesting." he said.

            "Um Giles, you might wanna move." Dawn warned.

            Giles moved out of the way in time for Willow to appear.  She seemed to like flooing as much as Dawn did and happily asked if she could do it again.

            "At least it's got her mind off of Kennedy." Buffy whispered to Xander, who nodded in agreement.

            "Oh good you're here." Jordan's grandmother said from the kitchen.

            Springer came into the living room carrying a tray of coffee, tea, and cookies.  

            "I is Springer the house elf sirs and misses.  I is at your service." he squeaked and bowed after he set the tray on the coffee table.

            "Oh he's so cute!" Willow cooed.

            Springer beamed at her and bowed again.

            "Is he like a servant or something?" Buffy asked Jordan.

            "Yeah.  He's been with the family since before Aidan and I were born." she replied.

            "Cool.  I want one." Dawn said.

            Jordan's parents came into the living room to greet their guests.

            "Miss Summers I am glad you and your friends could come." Mr. Firewell greeted as he shook their hands.

            "Yeah so are we.  This is quite a place you got here." Buffy remarked.

            "Thanks.  My wife's family and my own have always been pretty well off.  And her taste in decor isn't too bad either eh?" Mr. Firewell said.

            "Where is Hermione, Jordan?" Mrs. Firewell asked.

            "She had to floo to her parents first to let them know what's going on.  Then she's coming back." Jordan answered as she helped herself to a cookie.

            "Holy crap!  Are the people in these pictures moving?" Dawn exclaimed after examining a picture of Jordan and Aidan when they were five.  

            The young twins were waving and splashing around in a pool.

            "Oh yeah.  That's how pictures are in our world." Aidan said.

            "Well so they are." Giles noted as he examined some pictures too. "Remarkable." 

            "Your world is so cool." Dawn commented for like the fortieth time that day.

            "Yeah it's okay." Aidan said while grinning at Dawn's delight.

            Hermione finally arrived and everyone entered the dining room.  Dawn and Willow wanted to do more exploring so Jordan and Aidan promised to give them a tour of the manor when dinner was finished.

            While they ate they spoke of many things.  Mostly the Firewell family along with Hermione answered questions about the Wizarding World.  

            "Whoa you mean that the stereotype is true?  Witches do fly brooms?" Buffy asked.

            "Not all of us do.  I know a couple who are scared shi-I mean really scared of heights.  They wouldn't get on a broom if their life depended on it." Jordan said.

            "So do you guys fly on brooms?" Xander asked.

            "I don't, but my friends, Harry and Ron, are on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.  Gryffindor is the house we are in at school." Hermione said.

            "Jordan and I are Chasers on our team.  We don't exactly call it 'house', we call it the Phoenix group." Aidan said.

            Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces.  Xander finally spoke up,

            "I think I speak for everyone here when I say, huh?"

            Hermione sighed as Jordan and Aidan launched into their explanation of the sport known as Quidditch with an excitement akin to the excitement of Harry and Ron whenever they spoke of it.  They ended up explaining it about three times because it was a bit confusing to the Muggles.

            "So you actually have these balls that go around hitting people?  That's kind of dangerous isn't it?" Willow asked.

            "The bludgers don't hurt too bad when you get used to it.  If you got good beaters on your team, then they really aren't much of a problem." Jordan replied.

            Springer came around to refill drinks.  Hermione gripped the glass she was holding in her anger at the slave labor being demonstrated that she forgot her new slayer strength and squeezed it so hard it shattered into a dozen shards.  The sharp pieces cut into her hand and the rest flew all over the table. 

            "Whoa!  Something wrong Hermione?" Aidan asked with concern while wiping bits of glass off his shirt.

            She looked down at her bleeding hands and almost smacked herself in the head at her carelessness.  _I need to be more careful from now on._  

            "You're bleeding.  Here." Jordan took a napkin and ripped it in half.  She wrapped the two pieces around Hermione's hands.

            The bushy-haired witch just blinked back tears of anger and humiliation at herself and allowed Jordan to press down on the cuts.  She winced in pain when she pressed a little too hard.

            "Sorry.  Sometimes I forget my own strength, which I'm guessing just happened to you.  Were you upset about something?" the auburn-haired slayer asked softly.

            Something landed on the table beside Hermione and she jumped when she saw the beautiful golden plumage of a phoenix.  The room was filled with "oooohs" and "aaaahs" at the beautiful bird.

            "You have a phoenix?" Hermione asked.

            "Yep.  Her name is Jinx.  I think she wants to heal you." Jordan said as she extended her arm for Jinx to hop on.

            Jordan brought Jinx over to Hermione and she took off the napkins covering her cuts.  The phoenix craned her neck and let some glistening tears drop on each of Hermione's hands.  As soon as the liquid made contact with her cuts, they healed up instantly.  The rest of the table was silent.  The Scoobies were staring at the spectacle in amazement.

            "She must like you.  She doesn't normally do that to people she's just met." Aidan remarked.

            Hermione smiled at Jinx and scratched her head affectionately.  

            "Thank you." she whispered.

            Jinx nodded her head like she understood and fluttered away leaving Hermione to stare at her newly healed hands. 

            "That was mine and Aidan's pet phoenix.  She was a baby gift to our parents when we were born from our Godparents.  Phoenix tears have healing powers." Jordan explained to the Scoobies.

            "Wow.  She was so pretty." Willow breathed.

            Springer cleaned up any remaining pieces of glass and dinner continued.  No one said much of anything during the last half of dinner.  Jordan watched Hermione out of the corner of her eye to see if she was going to have anymore mood swings.  She resolved to ask the girl what was bothering her later.

***********************************************************************************************

            "This is one hell of a training room." Buffy commented.

            The Scoobies, Hermione, and the Firewell twins were standing in a large room filled with mats, punching bags, an assortment of weapons and other training equipment.  

            "Yeah.  My parents had it built when they first found out I was a potential." Jordan said.

            "Your parents were actually in the know of this whole slayer thing?" Buffy asked incredulously.

            "Just about everyone in the Wizarding World knows of the slayer.  I learned about her in my Defense Against the Dark Arts class." Hermione said.

            "How much do you know?" Xander asked.

            "Oh we learned about the whole legacy.  The 'she alone will stand against the forces of darkness...' and all that." Aidan answered.

            "Damn.  I wish someone woulda told me before I got called." Buffy huffed.

            The group left the room and walked into a hallway, which was covered wall to wall with moving pictures.  The Scoobies had to take a couple moments to look at each one and marvel at the people moving in the photographs.

            "Aidan, I'm going to show Dawn and Hermione my room.  Give the rest the outside tour." Jordan said.

            Aidan nodded and led the others onto the balcony and down the spiral staircase to the grounds.

            Jordan brought the other girls into a bedroom that they were guessing at its messy state belonged to Jordan.

            "This is my humble abode." she gestured to the huge room.

            There was a four-poster bed with purple and silver blankets by the windows.  Posters of the _Netherworld Avengers_, phoenixes, unicorns, and Quidditch teams plastered the walls.  There was a shelf hanging above a desk littered with parchment, quills, books, and little knickknacks.  It was adorned with Quidditch awards, potions competition awards, and little figurines.  A huge bookshelf full to the brim with books and other things stood by a dark wooded wardrobe.  Jordan's school things were in a chest by her bed.

            "Wow.  Looks real cozy." Dawn remarked.

            "It certainly is quite big." Hermione said.

            "I know it isn't that clean.  I've been away from it for four months and I kinda left it in the exact same state it's in now." Jordan said.

            Dawn wanted to go through all of Jordan's wizarding paraphernalia, but she didn't want to snoop.  This world fascinated her and the thought that she might really be a part of it was almost too good to be true.

            "Miss Jordan?  I has some cookies that your grandmother made.  She thoughts you might be wanting some." Springer said from the doorway while holding a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies.

            "Thank you Springer.  I haven't eaten some all day." Jordan said happily as she relieved the small house elf of his burden.

            Dawn noticed that something was bothering Hermione.  Her face was red and her hands were clenched into fists.

            "Hermione?  What's wrong?" she asked cautiously.

            "Slave labor." Dawn heard her mutter in anger.

            Jordan's sensitive ears picked it up and she turned to Hermione with a look of confusion.  She quickly swallowed the cookie she had shoved in her mouth before she spoke.

            "Slave labor?  What is that supposed to mean?" 

            Hermione pointed to the house elf dressed in a patchwork quilt.

            "Slave labor!  He is nothing but your slave!" she cried angrily.

            The look of confusion passed from Jordan's face to one of understanding.

            "Oh that's what's been eating you." she said.

            Springer was twisting his hands in a nervous gesture and he looked pleadingly up at his young mistress.

            "You can go Springer." she dismissed.

            He bowed and quickly exited the room.

            "What you mean you don't pay him?" Dawn asked in surprise and anger.

            "House elves don't wanna be paid.  They love their jobs.  Paying them would be like insulting them." Jordan explained.

            That seemed a good enough explanation for Dawn and her anger quickly dissipated.  It didn't seem to calm Hermione though.

            "That's because they're brainwashed!" the bushy-haired brunette yelled. "Honestly you sound like my friend Ron!"

            "Well it's true.  It may not be something you find fancy, working for a family your whole life for no pay, but they like it just fine." Jordan said.

            "Have you ever considered that Springer's attitude might change if you freed him?" Hermione asked.

            "Free him?  Are you nuts?" Jordan laughed. "If I ever freed him, he'd probably hang himself in shame with whatever piece of clothing I gave him.  His family has been serving the Firewell family for generations.  You don't just free house elves Hermione, the little guys have feelings."

            Hermione huffed and walked out of the room.  Jordan just shrugged and sat on her armchair.

            "She'll get over it." she said to Dawn.

            "I don't know, she seemed pretty pissed off." Dawn replied as her worried eyes remained on the doorway.

            Buffy appeared in the doorway.  

            "What's wrong with Hermione?  She seemed mad about something?" the blonde slayer asked.

            "Oh you know, just the fact that Springer isn't paid and that he's like a slave." Dawn said casually.

            "He's your slave?!" Buffy exclaimed.

            Jordan sighed and shot Dawn an annoyed glare.

            "Okay, from the top." 


	9. Chapter Nine

Hey there I'm back!  I am hoping to squeeze in a couple more chapters before next year.  Hope you all had a nice break off of school, work, or whatever.  I'm stuck at home with my annoying sisters and brother that don't seem to want to get off the computer, but I manage to sneak in my writing time.

**becks89: **I don't know if I am going to have her learn to apparate a bit early.  I figured I'd just make her and Aidan have birthdays like in January so they can get their licenses then.  Oh and apparating accidents with Jordan galore!  That will be fun to write.  And Jordan won't be Harry's only protector; after training Hermione will be too.  I figured since they are both going to be in school with him it would be easier for them to protect him than Buffy or Faith.  I'm glad you liked the floo excitement and floo sickness and Giles going around examining the Wizarding stuff.  And no Dawn didn't know anything about the Wizarding World prior to all this in my story.  Willow will probably recognize some stuff being a Wicca and all, but she is mostly clueless too.  

**Imp17: **Considering that Hogwarts has tons more house elves and Springer hasn't been mistreated in anyway she should get over it.  Thanks for reviewing.

**Silver Warrior: ** I'm glad you like the story.  And like I said above, she should let it slide.

**Black Rose9: **Thanks for reviewing I will try to update as quickly as possible.

**Chrios: **Hey new-comers are always welcome.  Yeah this definitely will not be a rushed story because there are so many things to cover.  And the Will and Kennedy thing had to be covered.  I hated her, she just had to go.  Happy you agreed with the decision. 

**Incepte: **I'm leaning towards a Dawn/Harry pairing.

**Jillian Ryn:** Don't fall off the edge of your seat waiting.  It will most likely be next chapter that they all finally meet up.  If not then it will be the one after it.  I thought the fight over the house elf would be interesting too.  Apparently I was right.  

**Steph: **Being the selfish bitch that she is, she really only wanted the power of the slayer to use in her own way.  And fighting for her life against evil isn't too appealing to her.  Hope that explains it for you.

Thanks you guys!

***********************************************************************************************

            Hermione splashed cool water over her face to let it wash away her tension.  After her humiliating display in Jordan's room she had stomped off into the bathroom.  She was disgusted with herself, but she couldn't seem to get a grip on her emotions lately.  All this new knowledge about herself and the upcoming conflict with Voldemort was almost more than she could handle and she was experiencing emotional overload.

            _I should apologize to her.  It's not like Springer is being mistreated and Hogwarts has many more house elves._  She finally stepped out of her white tiled sanctuary and slowly trudged to back to Jordan's room.  The door was open and she could see Buffy, Aidan, Jordan, and Dawn in there conversing about Quidditch and the different types of broomsticks again.  Jordan had in her hands a broom that looked like a Firebolt, which it probably was.

            "This thing is kinda neat looking.  I still can't get over that you guys actually fly on brooms." Buffy commented as she held the Firebolt and inspected it.

            "Yeah you would think that would be like something insulting to you guys." Dawn said as Buffy handed her the broom.

            "Maybe tomorrow Jordan and I can show you guys how to ride the brooms.  We still have our Nimbuses left." Aidan offered.

            "Really?  Oh that would be so cool!" Dawn squealed.

            "Gee Dawn if I didn't know better I would say you were on something right about now." Buffy quipped, then she stared at her sister suspiciously, "You're not are you?"

            "But this world is so amazing!  And we're actually going to be apart of it!  How can I not get all hyped up about that?" Dawn replied.

            "Hope I'm not interrupting." came Hermione's quiet voice from the doorway.

            "You're not still pissed off are you?" Jordan asked.

            "No.  I'm sorry for my behavior.  It was rather foolish of me." Hermione apologized.

            "Hey that's okay.  You've had to deal with a lot lately.  Finding out you're a slayer and about everything else." Buffy said.

            "Yeah that can make people crack." Jordan agreed.

            "You didn't." Hermione pointed out.

            "Well I've known about my potential slayerness since I was eight.  Really didn't understand much about it then and I had a lot of time to cope." Jordan said then she clapped Aidan on the back, "And I got my own personal ventee for which to vent on right here."

            "Hermione I think it's safe to say that everything you're feeling is completely normal and we are all here if you wanna talk.  At least you're not the only slayer.  I had that dumped on me when I was fifteen and I freaked." Buffy grasped Hermione's shoulder supportively as she spoke.

            Hermione blinked back tears.  

            "Thank you for understanding." she choked.

            "Aww someone needs a hug." Dawn said and Hermione let the girl wrap her arms around her.

            After Hermione finally rid herself of the need to cry the group went downstairs.  They found the rest of the Scoobies sitting in the living room discussing Voldemort with Jordan and Aidan's parents.

            "Ah I was just about to come find you Buffy.  Mr. and Mrs. Firewell were telling us more about our new foe." Giles scooted over to let his charge sit beside him on the couch.

            "Oh goody.  Dishing about the big bad.  Always good fun." Buffy sighed.

            "Yeah and they have cookies." Xander picked up a plate of chocolate chip cookies and offered some to Buffy.

            "Oh oh give me some." Jordan held out her hand.

            "Didn't we just have some?" Dawn inquired.

            "Hey we're talking about taking on Voldemort.  This merits serious cookie treatment." Jordan said defensively.

            "Good point." Buffy said and she snatched the plate out of Xander's hand.

            "Well I guess it's better than drowning your problems in booze." Dawn remarked.

            "Damn straight." Jordan said.

            "Jordan!" Mrs. Firewell scolded.

            "Sorry Mom." Jordan replied sheepishly.

            "Hermione, if it isn't too much trouble, would you mind giving us a first-hand account of your dealings with Voldemort over the years?" Mr. Firewell asked hesitantly.

            Hermione briefly flinched at the mention of his name, but got over it quickly.  She then told them about all the times she and her friends had come up against Voldemort in one form or another.  There were some things that she had felt Harry or Ron would rather tell that she had left out.  Because there were Muggles in the room, extra explanations were required.  Especially the parts about the creatures Hermione and her friends had faced.

            "The Sorcerer's Stone was at Hogwarts?" Aidan asked incredulously.

            "Yes.  Dumbledore was keeping it there to keep it out of the wrong hands.  It was eventually destroyed though." Hermione said.

            "How did you escape from all those Dementors?" Jordan's skin got cold and clammy just thinking about the creatures.  She countered it by cramming three whole cookies into her mouth.

            "I'm not real sure on that one.  Harry could tell you better than I." Hermione stammered not wanting to get into the story of going back in time and Harry performing the Patronus charm just yet.

            "And I thought our lives were dangerous." Dawn said.

            "What about you Jordan?  How many dangerous things did you and your brother get into?" Willow asked.

            Jordan lowered her gaze.  Compared to Hermione's and the Scoobies' lives, hers sounded downright boring.  Up until four months ago.

            "Well our life will probably sound dull, for lack of a better word, compared to yours.  Never had that many attempts on my life until about four months ago when the Bringers showed up and killed my watcher and tried to kill me.  What really sucked was that they had to do it right in front of me.  And then my life got ummm even more exciting I should say when I came to Sunnydale." Jordan said.

            "They killed your watcher right in front of you?" Hermione's voice was lowered to a whisper and her face portrayed the familiar look of horror.

            "Yeah.  That was not among my favorite experiences.  Didn't have too much time to dwell on it when it happened on account of they were trying to gut me.  Luckily I am pretty good at defensive magic as well as non-magical defense." Jordan said softly as she tried to blot out the memory of the Bringer's blade slicing through her mentor's chest.

            "Where did this happen?" Buffy asked.  She had known that Jordan's watcher had been killed by Bringers, but anything beyond that no one spoke of.

            "At school on a weekend.  No one else saw it.  We were by the forest by our school and most everyone else was down by the Quidditch field or on the other side of the school.  Mandy, my watcher, had come to talk to me.  She was probably gonna tell me what Giles told me two days later, only she didn't get that far.  A Bringer hurled its knife at her from behind and it went all the way through her.  She fell on top of me and I only then my mind figured out what was happening and switched into survival mode.  I managed to stupefy the bastards and then, well, my memory is a bit scattered after that.  I do remember trying to wake Mandy up and then I remember running back to the school to get help" she said her voice growing softer with every word.

            Aidan remembered what had happened after that.  She had come into the school covered in her watcher's blood and looking paler than the ghosts that dwelled in their school.  Jordan had grabbed onto her brother's robes with her bloody hands and started screaming about things with slashes over their eyes killing Mandy and trying to kill her.  He had never seen her in such a state.  It had scared the hell out of him the way his sister was.  She had been shaking uncontrollably, sobbing, and babbling incoherently after some of the staff went to investigate.  All he could do was hold her and rock her.  That was all he could think of to do because he was nearing breakdown himself.  He knew that image would forever be burned into his mind, as well as in the minds of the students who had been there at the time when Jordan came in.  

The teachers had sent her for her parents immediately and she had gone home that day.  Aidan had gone home as well to make sure she would be alright.  As soon as they had gotten home she had thrown up on the carpet.  Something Jordan hated to do.  Two days later, Rupert Giles showed up at their door.  And Jordan amazingly agreed to go with him to Sunnydale.

"Why did you go with him?  You never told me why." Aidan asked.

Jordan sighed and looked at him meaningfully, "I knew that Mandy was killed because of what I was, and no I don't blame myself, you know I'm not like that.  I thought that my being here would endanger you and Mom and Dad and Grandma and Springer.  I figured you guys would be safer if I went to Sunnydale to help fight.  And besides, I had to find some form of therapy after that.  Who woulda thought that beating the crap out of vampires could make you feel so much better?"

"Yeah.  Kicking ass is comfort food as Buffy likes to say." Dawn grasped Jordan's hand as she said that.

"I know how you feel Jordan.  My girlfriend Tara was killed right in front of me too." Willow empathized.

Jordan's eyes welled in sympathy for Willow.  _Gee and the next girlfriend turns out to be a bitch.  Poor girl.  Can't she get a break?_

Buffy didn't say anything, but she put her hand on Jordan's shoulder.  She could definitely relate to what Jordan had been going through.  When she had to kill Angel, she hadn't exactly handled it well herself.  She realized how lucky Jordan had been and still was to have a brother like Aidan.  Aidan reminded her of her mother in his solid demeanor.  Her mother had been her rock, the strong one, the one who had been able to hold things together (most of the time).  Aidan was the same thing for Jordan.  She smiled appreciatively at the boy and he smiled back although he had no idea what she smiled at him for to begin with.

"That must've been terrible." Hermione said.

"Yeah.  But it's in the past.  Can't really change it.  All that matters is the here and now and of course what's to come." Jordan said.

"That's the spirit." Giles said.

Jordan smiled gratefully at him.  She had wanted to ask Buffy about the second time she died and she wanted to ask Dawn about her _uniqueness_, but she felt that those were pretty touchy subjects.  She made a mental note to ask Dawn later that night.

"Oh I forgot.  Mom, Dad can Dawn and Hermione spend the night?  I mean if they want to." Jordan asked quickly expelling the somber mood that had descended upon the group.

"Oh Buffy can I?" Dawn asked her sister while latching onto her arm.

"If they say it's okay." Buffy replied.

"Sure." Mrs. Firewell said.

"Hermione?  You wanna stay the night?" Jordan asked cautiously remembering the girl's anger about the house elf issue.

"Oh yes I would like that.  I just have to get home and get a few things first.  My parents already know I will probably be late, but I should check in." Hermione answered.

"Well you'd better get going cuz it's seven-thirty here and you're like seven hours ahead.  Hope they don't mind being woken up in the middle of the night." Aidan reminded her.

"I'll just leave a note then." she said.

"Cool we can come and help you pack up." Dawn chimed. "I love flooing." 

"Well I'm glad you like it cuz I hate it." Jordan grumbled as she stood up and stretched.

"You shouldn't go alone." Giles said.

"I'll go with them.  You, Willow, and Xander can head back to LA and I'll catch up to you." Buffy told them.

Willow, Xander, and Giles said their thanks to the Firewell family and their goodbyes before flooing back to the Hyperion.  Aidan handed Xander a vial with the potion for floo-sickness before he left.

"Thanks my man.  I'm gonna need this." Xander said appreciatively.

"No problem." Aidan shook his hand.

After that group left Hermione gave them the directions to her house and Buffy left first for precautionary reasons she said.

"Hermione you wanna know what's weird?  You live in England, the Watcher's Council is, erm _was_, headquartered in England.   Yet they didn't send someone to tell you about your potential slayerness beforehand.  You were right there under their noses.  Look at me, I'm like over 3000 miles away and they told me when I was eight." Jordan said thoughtfully.

"I've never thought about it like that.  Hmm, guess they just missed me." she shrugged and flooed out of there.

Dawn went next and Jordan sighed and said "stupid apparating law" before following.

Hermione rolled out of her fireplace and was pulled up by Buffy.

"Is everything secure?" Hermione said sarcastically.

"Yep.  So far." Buffy whispered, not wanting to wake the girl's parents.

After Dawn and Jordan (who managed not to run into anything) came they tiptoed up the stairs to Hermione's room.

"Nice place.  If it wasn't so dark I'd say it was awesome." Dawn whispered.

Hermione didn't answer, she was staring at her surroundings and she realized that she could actually see in the very dark house.  She couldn't see all that well, but better than she could remember.  _Must be another slayer aspect; absorbing whatever light there is like a cat's eyes._

She flipped the lights on in her room and began to put things together for her stay at the Firewells.  Jordan did more exploring of Muggle paraphernalia than helping.

"I don't know why you're so fascinated, you spent four months at our house." Buffy said.

"Yeah but you're American.  I have to see what English Muggles are like." Jordan said.

The other three rolled their eyes.

Jordan picked up a picture of Hermione with her arms around two boys.  One was a tall, gangly redhead with freckles all over his face.  The other was a skinny boy with unruly black hair and glasses.  She knew that the black haired was Harry Potter because she had seen his picture in the newspapers before.  The three were laughing and waving in the picture.  When Dawn looked at the picture Harry winked at her making her blush furiously even though it was just a photograph.

"These your pals?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah.  This was taken in our third year at Hogwarts I believe.  The redhead is Ron Weasley and well I'm sure you know who the other one is." Hermione replied.

"Harry Potter." Jordan said.

After she finished packing all her things Buffy picked up her bag and they quietly descended the steps.  Hermione scrawled a note for her parents and left it on the kitchen table and then she lit a fire in her fireplace.  Jordan handed her the floo powder.

"Let's get this over with." she muttered.

            After they flooed back to Jordan's house Buffy said her goodbyes to them and went back to the Hyperion.  Dawn didn't have any other clothes since all hers went down with the hellmouth so Jordan let her borrow a pair of pajamas and some clothes for tomorrow.  It was an odd coincidence that they were the exact same size.

            "So what will Aidan be doing while we're having our pillow fights and stuff?" Dawn asked mischievously.

            "I don't know.  He usually just does his own thing when I have friends over.  Same thing I do when he has friends over, only my dad charms my room so no boys can enter unless they're him or Aidan without my permission. Sorta like the vampire deal only it's more temporary.  Really funny when they try to get in though." Jordan said.

            "Is your dad over-protective?" Hermione asked.

            "Only when it comes to adolescent, hormone raging boys who might steal his little girl's virtue as if I would ever let that happen." Jordan replied.

            Springer brought in extra blankets and pillows for the girls and they spread them all over the floor in Jordan's room.  The girls stayed up half the night talking about the normal teenage girl stuff of scary demons, evil wizards, hot guys, funny pranks, hot guys, cool music, Quidditch, and hot guys.

              "So Dawn, what is the deal with Buffy dying a second time?  I didn't know about that one." Jordan asked her.

            "She died while jumping into a portal that would have destroyed the world had she not jumped into it." Dawn said uneasily while trying to talk around the fact that it had been her blood that opened the portal.

            "She sacrificed herself?" Hermione asked.

            "Yeah.  It was awful.  She was dead for three months when Willow did a spell and brought her back." Dawn said.

            Jordan nodded and then her head snapped up as she just realized what Dawn said.

            "Whoa whoa whoa!  Back up there.  _Willow_ brought Buffy back?" she said.

            Dawn nodded.

            "From the dead?" Jordan asked.

            Dawn nodded again.

            "How on earth did she do that?  I didn't think that was possible." Hermione asked.

            "It is if you die by mystical forces, which Buffy had.  I don't know about the spell because they neglected to tell me, Spike or Giles what they were planning to do.  But it worked." Dawn replied.

            "They?  I thought it was just Willow." Jordan said.

            "Willow and Xander and their girlfriends, Anya and Tara, were there too." Dawn answered and her eyes glazed over with sadness at the memory of the two women who were now dead.

            "Oh." Jordan said.

            "But that is very dangerous.  Why would Willow do something like that?" Hermione asked.

            "Yeah messing with the forces of life and death, that's tricky territory.  What if she came back a zombie?" Jordan added.

            "Willow and the others thought, they thought that Buffy was in hell." Dawn's voice was threatening to break.

            "Was she?" Jordan asked.

            Dawn didn't answer her friend.  She didn't think Buffy would like her telling all about her past to people she had known less than a year or two days in Hermione's case.  If Buffy wanted them to know then she would tell them.  It wasn't really her story to tell anyway.

            "You know what guys, I'm really tired.  Can we go to sleep now?" Dawn yawned and snuggled under her covers.

            Jordan bit her tongue to keep from bothering Dawn with more questions and she and Hermione laid their heads down on their pillows.  The girls were snoozing and cruising in dreamland in fifteen minutes.


	10. Chapter Ten

Happy New Year Everyone!  I rang in the new year with a mouth full of chocolate flavored whipped cream and listening to my neighbors shoot their guns.  Good times.  

**Maharet13: **I think I will incorporate what you and **dancetdplc** said and keep Jordan single but have a mutual attraction between her and Draco.  You're right I can't overlook the fact that Draco is a jerk, but he can change his ways.  I for one picture him as a very sexy guy and it would be a shame to make him evil.       

**dancetdplc: **Thanks for the advice on the pairings and you're right about Jordan, she doesn't seem like the type to be in a relationship (not now anyway).  Really the only guy she needs is Aidan.  I think I will keep her single but not without the love interest of Draco.  Buffy and one of the Weasley twins; that is very intriguing.  It would be a bit interesting to see how she fares with the younger men, no?  And this story will be looong, considering they haven't even made it to Hogwarts yet and it's the 10th chapter.  I have the whole summer and the school year to write up.  How many chapters it will be I do not know.  

**Gabby: **Always happy to serve as a distraction.  I am happy you and lots of others like Jordan and Aidan.  I am quite proud of them.  Orlando Bloom ::stares off into space, stuck in fantasy land:: 

**Jillian Ryn: **Yeah I thought that would be cute too.  Glad you liked it.

**wyredsisters: **It could have been worse; I could have killed her.  I just hated her.  She is, erm was, totally wrong for Willow.  I do not think I can create a character as good as Tara and I'm not going to try.  I said I was going to create someone like Tara.  Aidan is probably going to end up with Ginny.

**Silver Warrior: **Christ if that had been me digging my way out of my own grave after being ripped from heaven, I'd probably be in an insane asylum.  That is my worse nightmare, being trapped in a casket six feet under.  So yeah I think it's safe to say that that was super-traumatic and a touchy subject.  

**becks89: ** Well as you will read they're meeting Ron this chapter and Harry next chapter.  They're going to Phoenix HQ first and then some will go to rescue poor Harry from the Dursleys.  Then it's off to Hogwarts finally.  I don't know if I'm bringing Spike back.  I have to contemplate (I love that word for some reason) on that idea.   Like I said above, Aidan is going with Ginny.  That _was_ a weirdly fast update.  I surprised myself with it.  

**Chrios: **Yeah Dawn would be sore on that subject and I'm glad everyone seems to agree.  How sweet of you to comment on my grammar.  I try to make it as correct as possible, but alas, no one is perfect.

**Kristy Marie: **I think everyone knows what would happen if Hermione slipped about Buffy's resurrection which is going to get out sooner or later to the rest of the characters.  It will not be pretty.

Thanks to **CF28, Dudet, **and **Imp17 **also for reviewing.  Sorry if you guys were hoping for the Draco, Hermione, and Ron love triangle but after much contemplating (hehe I love that word) I decided that the angst will have to come elsewhere.  Possibly from Buffy and the Weasley boys (excluding Ron and Percy of course).   

***********************************************************************************************

            The smell of buttermilk pancakes wafted into Jordan's room rousing Dawn from her sleep and her rather strange, but pleasant dream.  She had dreamt of that boy, Harry Potter.  After he winked at her from that photograph she couldn't seem to stop thinking about him.  _Oh great Dawn, you're lusting after a guy you've never even met yet._

            She noticed that Hermione and Jordan were not in the room.  _Must be downstairs digging in.  I can't believe I slept late.  _She stood up and walked towards the source of the delicious aroma.  Jordan was sitting at the kitchen table reading what looked like a letter and Hermione was reading one too.  Aidan was seated beside his sister eating his breakfast and a similar letter lie beside his plate.

            Dawn took the seat next to Hermione and Springer instantly appeared at her side with a plate full of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

            "Here is your breakfast Miss Dawn.  Is this to your liking?" he asked with large hopeful eyes.

            "Um yeah.  Thanks." she said taking the plate.

            He smiled and bowed to her, which made her feel a bit awkward towards him.

            "Would you cares for something to drink?" he asked.

            "Um I'll have some orange juice thanks." she said.

            "Right away Miss Dawn!" Springer squeaked.

             Jordan lifted her eyes from her letter from Dumbledore and smirked.  No one seemed to know how to react after being bowed to.

            "Sleeping beauty!  Have sweet dreams?" she asked mischievously.

            Dawn's face reddened to the color of tomato and she looked down at her plate.  

            Jordan was unprepared for that reaction.  She hadn't really meant it in the sense of Dawn actually having sweet dreams.  It was just something she said normally.

            "I'll take that as a 'yes'." she replied slyly.

            "Sorry we just left you up there.  We didn't want to wake you." Hermione said apologetically.

            "That's okay.  I probably needed the extra sleep anyway." Dawn said.

"This came for you from Dumbledore.  Supplies list and everything else." Aidan said while handing her an envelope that had written in green ink,

_Miss Dawn Summers_

_Firewell Manor_

_Katsmorn, Montana_

_USA_

            Dawn read the letter inside.  It had her letter of admission into Hogwarts and her supplies list and a train ticket for the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9 ¾ .  

            "Platform 9 ¾?" she looked at Hermione and Jordan with a raised eyebrow.

            "That's where we get on the Hogwarts Express.  Although I don't see why we would need it, we will already be at Hogwarts during the summer." Hermione said.

            "You're coming to Hogwarts too?" Dawn asked.

            "Yeah, for training in the ways of the slayer so she can protect Harry Potter as well." Jordan told her.

            "Oh cool." Dawn said.

            Jinx fluttered down onto the table and perched herself on the edge beside Dawn.  Dawn looked into the phoenix's large amber eyes and felt the most glorious sensation.  It was like looking into the eyes of Professor Dumbledore; so full of wisdom and kindness.  She petted the lovely bird.

            "She is so beautiful." Dawn breathed.

            Jordan smiled at Dawn in understanding.  Jinx was positively the most beautiful thing Jordan had ever seen and she had been to lots of places.  Well those elves from _The Lord of the Rings _movies, which she had watched at the Summers house during her stay, came in an extremely close second.

            "Professor Dumbledore has a phoenix as well.  His name is Fawkes." Hermione said.

            As soon as she said that there was a popping sound and the said professor was standing in the kitchen.  Dawn jumped in surprise at his sudden appearance.

            "Don't worry you'll get used to it.  And you won't have to worry about that at Hogwarts.  I don't think people can apparate there." Jordan said.

            "They can't.  Have you read _Hogwarts, A History_?" Hermione inquired.

            "Don't need to.  A lotta magic schools are the same and have the same basic rules." Aidan told them.

            "Good morning to all.  I trust you slept well?" Professor Dumbledore greeted cheerfully.

            "Yeah it was okay." Jordan said.

            "I have just been to the Hyperion Hotel and Miss Summers and some of her associates will be here within the hour.  We shall be traveling to London, England via portkey.  Then I will take you to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.  The members are very excited about meeting you all." he announced.

            "What's a portkey?" Dawn asked wanting to know more of wizard transportation.

            "It's a trinket of sorts that transports witches and wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time.  It is especially useful for large groups.  It is usually a small object that wouldn't attract much attention so an unsuspecting Muggle would be less inclined to touch it." Hermione explained as if she were reading it out of a book.

            "Oh.  Cool." Dawn said.

            "I like it better than flooing." Jordan said.

"I don't.  It feels like something just grabs onto you and jerks you.  I really don't like that feeling." Aidan said.

            "Are Ron and Harry going to be there?" Hermione asked.

            "The Weasley family is already there, but Mr. Potter is still at his aunt and uncle's house for the time being." Professor Dumbledore answered.

            Hermione had told Dawn, Jordan, and Aidan about how horrible Harry's Muggle relatives were to him.  It made Dawn especially angry because the boy had suffered so much and didn't deserve to be treated like that.  

            "I suggest that you, Miss Firewell and your brother have your things packed.  Am I right in assuming that you shall be staying at Hogwarts during the summer as well Master Firewell?" Professor Dumbledore asked Aidan.

            "Yep.  I got packed last night." Aidan replied.

            "Guess I should get cracking then." Jordan mumbled.

            "I already have clean laundry on your bed Jordan." her grandmother's voice sounded from the stairs.

            "Thanks Grandma!" Jordan yelled.  "I'll just go and pack then." she added as she stood up and left the kitchen.

            Dawn and Hermione followed her.

            "You can take a shower if you want and pick out any outfit you want." Jordan told Dawn.

            "Thanks.  I could probably use a shower." Dawn laughed.

            "We'll have to go shopping in London for some new clothes for you." Jordan said her eyes lighting up.  She loved to shop.

            Dawn nodded in agreement, excited about the prospect as well.  Hermione just shrugged.  She wasn't a big time clothes shopper.  She was more into shopping for books.

            After Dawn had her shower and got dressed and Jordan finally managed to decide which shoes to bring and which to leave behind after much debating and shakings of the head and "honestlys" from Hermione the three girls walked downstairs bringing Jordan's luggage with them.  They saw that the Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander had arrived and Faith had joined them.  The dark haired slayer gave Jordan and Dawn a little wave.

            "So B, is this the new recruit?" Faith asked Buffy pointing to Hermione.

            "Yeah that's her.  Hermione Granger." Buffy said.

            "Nice to meetcha.  I'm Faith.  One of the original chosen two." she shook the girl's hand.

              Jordan spotted her parents and her brother and joined them.  

            "You know Jordan, since you got super strength now you wouldn't mind carrying my luggage too would you?" Aidan asked slyly.

            "Yeah like it all would fit in my arms." Jordan replied.

            She had her sticker covered mahogany chest filled with her school supplies and her books.  She had her suitcase filled with her clothes and shoes and her _Firebolt_ safely tucked away in its case.  Aidan had an identical case under his arm.

            "Trying out for a team too?" he asked.

            "You know it." she replied patting her case.

            "Alright everyone seems to be here.  Everyone gather round." Professor Dumbledore beckoned towards where he was.

            "Now before we leave I am going to tell you where we are going.  And I am only going to tell you once so you had better memorize it quickly.  Listen carefully, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place in London." he told them all.

            After a beat he then clapped his hands together.

            "You all have it memorized?" he asked.

            After a chorus of nodding heads and yeses he then deposited a medium sized cardboard box on the coffee table.  The Scoobies eyed it in confusion, but each laid a hand on it as Dumbledore instructed.  Dumbledore looked at his watch and began counting down from ten.

            "Three, two, one." then everyone was jerked forward into a swirling mass of colors and hit the ground with many "ompfs!"

            Jordan, Hermione, Aidan, Professor Dumbledore, and Jordan's parents managed to stay on their feet.  Everyone else had fallen down from the momentum of hitting the ground and were busy trying to get up.

            "Whoa.  What a rush!" Faith said breathlessly.

            "I think I like flooing better." Dawn said as Jordan helped her up.

            "How come you guys didn't fall down?" Buffy asked indignantly.

            "Everyone falls down the first time around." Mrs. Firewell said.

            Professor Dumbledore led to them to a street full of ominous looking houses that were in dire need of renovation.  It had been ten in the morning back at Firewell Manor, which made it late afternoon here.  He stopped them in front of two houses labeled eleven and thirteen.  Jordan guessed that number twelve was concealed in between the two decrepit houses and she really hoped it looked better than these two.  A weather-beaten door suddenly appeared between houses eleven and thirteen.  Filthy walls and smudged windows accompanied it.  _Okay so it looks like crap on the outside, doesn't mean it looks like crap on the inside too._

            Professor Dumbledore walked up to the door and tapped on it with his wand.  Everyone heard little clicks from inside and the clatter of chains.

            "Won't people see?" Dawn whispered to Aidan.

            "We're probably under a concealment charm of some sort." he assured her.

            The door opened and Professor Dumbledore beckoned to them to come inside.  They all stepped into what seemed to be a house right out of the movies.  Gas lamps came to life and shed light on the gloomy hallway.  The wallpaper was faded and pealing and the carpet was worn.  Old portraits lined the hallway and a serpent shaped candelabra rested on a table nearby.  

            "Depressing." Faith remarked.

            "Very." Buffy agreed.

            Footsteps sounded in the hallway and a tall, freckled redhead that Jordan and Dawn recognized as Hermione's friend Ron came running towards the group.

            "Hermione!" he said happily and swept her up into a hug.

            Hermione hugged him tightly because she had missed him very much over the past few weeks they had been apart.

            "Hermione!  I*gasp* can't breathe *gasp*." he choked out. 

            "Oh dear!  I'm sorry." she released her death grip and he sucked in some much needed oxygen.

            "Blimey!  When did you get so strong?" he asked.

            "Well it's a long story.  I'd rather we wait to explain it to everyone." she told him.

            Ron led them into a large room where a dozen or so people sat or stood.  Dawn saw many redheads that she guessed were related to Ron.  A plump woman with a kind face came and hugged Hermione.

            "How are you Hermione dear?" she asked.

            "Very well Mrs. Weasley." she replied.

            "We heard you guys come in, but we sent Ron out just in case you all might be Death Eaters." one of the redheads said.  

            "Fred!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

            Buffy and the others laughed at what he said which made him stand up and take a bow.  Another boy, who looked exactly like him did the same.

            "You two!  It's bad enough that you dropped out of school!" their mother yelled angrily.

            "Well I believe introductions are in order.  I will start with the newcomers." Professor Dumbledore said.

            "Molly, Arthur, Kingsley, Alastor, Remus I believe you know Gabriel and Aurora Firewell." he gestured to Jordan and Aidan's parents.

            "How lovely to see you again.  It has been a while." Mr. Weasley said.

            "These two must be Jordan and Aidan.  The last time I saw them they were in diapers.  They certainly have grown into fine young adults." a tall black wizard with a gold hoop in his ear said while shaking the twins' hands.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt." his voice was deep and rich.

            "That her?" asked the man who looked like his face had been run over with a sharp rake a couple times.  He was pointing to Buffy.

            "This is Buffy Summers.  The slayer, or I should say _a_ slayer now.  And this is her sister Dawn, she will be attending Hogwarts this year." Professor Dumbledore said while pointing to the Summers sisters.

            "Alastor Moody.  Some call me Mad-Eye though.  Heard a lot about you girl." he said in his gruff voice while shaking the small blonde's hand.

            "This is Faith, another slayer; Xander Harris, a friend of Miss Summers'; Willow Rosenburg, another friend and a Wicca; and Rupert Giles, Miss Summers' watcher." Professor Dumbledore finished.

            After everyone was properly introduced Mrs. Weasley fussed about making dinner.  The group that had just came from America declined saying that they had just eaten breakfast.  Ron wanted to know what this whole ordeal was about and everyone else seemed to want explanations too.

            "Well you see, due to recent events, I am a bit different now." Hermione stammered.

            Ron didn't like the sound of that.

            "How are you different?  You look the same." he said.

            "Well I am a slayer like Buffy, Faith, and Jordan.  They can explain how it happened better than I can." she told him.

            "That's impossible.  There is only one, well two in the case of Miss Summers and Miss-?" Remus Lupin said.

            "Faith.  Just Faith." Faith told him.

            "Yeah there is an explanation to that.  I'm not sure if it will make a lot of sense, but there is an explanation." Jordan said.

            So the Scoobies told the story of how they had been fighting against The First Evil, a non-corporeal, annoying, taunting entity that took the form of dead people.  They told how its minions had been killing off potential slayers in hopes of ending the line of the chosen forever and how many potentials were brought to Sunnydale, California; the hellmouth.

            "Sunnydale?  That was the name of the town over top of the hellmouth?" Bill Weasley asked skeptically.

            "Yeah.  Can't you just taste the irony in that?" Xander said.

            The reactions to the story were a mixture of awe, admiration, horror, skepticism, and sorrow.  They could tell that the Scoobies had lost some very good friends in the last battle even though they didn't come out and say it.  When Buffy reached the part about Willow using the scythe she had found to activate all potentials jaws dropped all over the room.

            "You have to be one damn powerful Wicca to do a spell like that." Mad-Eye said to Willow.

            "She is a powerful Wicca." Giles said in her defense.

            "So all that time Hermione was a potential?" Ron said in disbelief.

            "Yeah.  She was lucky.  The Bringers, the First's minions, must've never found out.  They found Jordan though and killed her watcher when she was at school and then they tried to kill her." Aidan said.

            "Blimey." one of the twins said.

            Jordan didn't want to get into the story, which Buffy picked up on so she quickly changed the subject.

            "So anyway Professor Dumbledore asked us for an alliance and here we are." she said.

            Jordan sighed in relief and gave Buffy a grateful look.

            "Oh my you poor things.  All those poor young girls." Mrs. Weasley couldn't seem to get over the horror of it.

            "Molly dear, why don't you make our guests some tea?  Unless they prefer something else." Mr. Weasley suggested.

            "I'll have butterbeer if you got it.  That's my favorite." Aidan requested.

            "Me too." Jordan said.

            "You let them drink alcohol?" Giles asked their parents.

            "Oh it isn't real beer.  No alcohol in it." Mr. Firewell assured him.

            "In that case I'll try one." Dawn said.

            Mrs. Weasley busied herself with serving drinks and making dinner.  Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley, and Lupin spoke to Professor Dumbledore and Mr. and Mrs. Firewell about order business.  Buffy and Faith were being kept company by the four older Weasley boys.  Ron and Ginny caught up with Hermione and got to know Dawn, Aidan, and Jordan a little better.  Mr. Weasley was asking Giles, Willow, and Xander questions about the Muggle world and Muggle magic.

            "So you have a house elf?  Bet Hermione blew her top on that one." Ron said smugly.

            "Well I think she got over it." Jordan replied.

            Ron snickered and Hermione felt her cheeks flame.  

            "So are you and Aidan twins?" Ginny asked.

            "Yep.  We're probably easier to tell apart than your brothers though." Aidan said.

            "Yeah, sometimes Mum even gets them mixed up." Ron said.

            "Would you all excuse us?  I would like to speak to Ron privately." Hermione said.

            "Sure, we'll keep Ginny company." Jordan said putting her arms around the girl.

            Ron felt the butterflies flapping around in his stomach again.  She wanted to talk to him privately?!  Could this mean what he hoped it meant?  _Come on Ron, she only sees you as a friend._  Hermione pulled him into another room and shut the door.

            "Have you talked to Harry lately?" she asked.

            His heart sunk.  She just wanted to talk about Harry.  Well he should have saw that coming.  Harry was always the brave one of the group or so Ron thought.

            "Well I wouldn't call it talking.  He never writes much." he said.

            "I'm a little worried about him.  Do you think he should come here?  So he can talk to people and get his feelings out.  The Dursleys aren't exactly prime counselor material." she said.

            "I don't know.  He might wanna be alone." Ron said.

            Hermione sighed and crossed her arms.

            "Well we don't want a repeat of what happened when he was left alone with no one to talk to last year do we?" she said.

            Ron grimaced as he remembered Harry's outburst directed towards the both of them.  No that was definitely not something he wanted to see happen again and besides the guy was miserable at the Dursleys.  

            "Good point.  We'll have to talk to Dumbledore though." he pointed out.

            Jordan, Ginny, Aidan and Dawn stood outside the door.  They had been chatting about their families and such when Jordan finally turned to the door and whispered,

            "So what do you think they're doing, making out?  They've been making googly eyes at each other ever since we got here and I don't think either of them noticed." 

            "Well I don't know about Hermione, but Ron has been talking about her non-stop.  It does get a little tiring.  Now that she's here he may change the subject." Ginny told them.

            The door opened and the said couple exited looking very happy about something.

            "I knew it!" Dawn cried.

            "Knew what?" Hermione questioned.

            Jordan elbowed the girl in the side.

            "Nothing.  She knows nothing." Jordan said to Hermione and Ron.

            "Well I'd love to chat some more with you guys, but I gotta find Professor Dumbledore." Ron said taking Hermione by the arm.

            "We're going to rescue Harry from the Dursleys." Hermione answered them before they even asked.

            "Sweet!" Dawn exclaimed before clapping her hand over her mouth.

            Jordan and Aidan just shook their heads and exchanged knowing grins and they followed Hermione and Ron to find Dumbledore.

              
                                    


	11. Chapter Eleven

Holy crap **Silver Warrior! ** That was the quickest review I have ever seen!  I just submitted the chapter and less than an hour later my email alert pops up.  Here is the chapter everyone has been waiting for.  The heroines meet up with our hero!  And of course Buffy will be coming along.  Someone has to put Uncle Vernon in his place.   And I sorta fudged up the timeline a tad.  Let's say that all the events in season 7 ended at the beginning of June so as to coincide with the school year ending and all. 

**becks89: **Yeah poor Ron.  I doubt that Sirius will be coming back.  In the physical sense anyway.

**Jillian Ryn: **Yeah I thought that would be funny having her dream about Harry.  I'm really glad you like the story and the characters.  I was afraid of creating Mary-Sues (or whatever the male equivalent to that is), so I based them on actual people in my life and mixed the personalities together.  It's actually kind of scary to think about if you knew the people I was basing them on.  Well we know Jordan has to be a good fighter because she's a slayer, but she's definitely not as good as Buffy or Faith I'll say that much. 

**wyredsisters: **I appreciate the grammar help and I was actually going toward having Willow go with one of the HP characters.  I do remember the thing about no periods at the end of quotes.  There is no way I'm going back to correct it all, but I've started doing it right.  At least you all can understand it.  And I think Aragorn is a hottie too.  Jack Sparrow came across as hot not so much for his looks but for his bad boy appeal.  And Johnny Depp is hot hot hot!  And the dude is like 40!

**BTVSfreak: **Hermione is going with Ron and Draco is technically not going with anybody in this fic.  Later on in the year I will develop a budding attraction between him and a certain auburn-haired slayer.  He will gradually change his ways and plus all that pressure from his father will push him to fly in the face of his authority.  The gang from LA will visit Hogwarts from time to time.  They will mostly hang in LA and keep up the defense for the Muggle world and that will be where the slayers who are staying to make sure no demons run amuck in the Muggle world stay.  But they'll show up, especially Lorne.  I love Lorne!

**Imp17: **Next chapter or one after it will be from the other side of the fighting.  

Happy New Year everyone!  I sympathize with all who are forced to return to school.  It really sucks doesn't it?  My thanks also to **Chrios** for reviewing. 

***********************************************************************************************

            Sometimes Harry Potter wished he were dead; that he had been killed by Voldemort when he was a year old.  Death had to be better than whatever he had now that some people had the nerve to call a life.  This so-called life filled with the uncertainty that death lurked in every corner and every shadow and where people were continually getting hurt because of him.  Of who he was and what had happened to him.  

            Even the Dursleys who were so wrapped up in their oh-so-perfect existence noticed a change in the boy they pretended didn't exist.  He was so morose and quiet that it was beginning to unnerve them.  Not that they cared, but they didn't care for change.  Dudley even lost his enthusiasm in insulting the "freak" as he liked to call him because it failed to elicit any reaction from Harry.  What was the point in insulting people when they didn't respond?  

            Harry now laid down on his bed staring up at the ceiling.  His thoughts drifted to Sirius and Cedric, two people who were now dead because of him.  Cedric's death had been painful, but not as painful as Sirius'.  Sirius had been his friend, godfather, mentor, confidant, and father figure all rolled into one.  Now he was gone and it was all his fault.  He had fallen in Voldemort's trap and Sirius had valiantly come riding to his rescue and what did he get for it.  Death.

            He read the letters from Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid diligently and read the _Daily Prophet_ for news of the Wizarding World.  His responses to his friends' letters were quick and short.  What could he say to them?  How could they know what he was feeling?  How could they understand?  Harry knew in some subconscious part of his mind that talking about this would ease the aching in his heart.  But his stubbornness held out and he kept his emotions, his hurt inside and never asked to talk to his friends.  

            At the lowest points in his depression he had even contemplated ending his life.  He would think that his friends would be better off without him but in reality he just wanted to end his pain.  But then he would wise up and pull himself out of it.  It would be the coward's way out and it would mean that Sirius' sacrifice had been in vain.  And then there was that prophecy.  Harry was the Wizarding World's last defense against Voldemort.  He didn't understand it.  He was only a sixteen, well fifteen right now, year-old boy and a rather skinny one at that.  How could he possibly hope to defeat Voldemort? 

            Pulling him out of his dismal thoughts was the sound of something breaking and shouting from downstairs.

            "Who do you people think you are?!  You can't just come flying out of fireplaces whenever you ruddy-well please!" shouted his Uncle Vernon.

            _Coming out of fireplaces?  No, they wouldn't.  Not now._  The curiosity of what witch or wizard (and he was hoping it was one of his friends) had flooed to his house won out over his wish to wallow in his grief in his room.  He went to investigate.

            "Jeez I am so sorry I hope that vase wasn't too expensive," an unfamiliar female voice that sounded American to his ears said.

            "Is this the right place Hermione?  It's very umm-" said another American voice; male this time.

            "Clean?" now there was a voice he recognized, his best friend Ron's.

            Harry's heart thudded with excitement in his chest as he ran down to meet his friends.  In the living room, which was now very dusty and one of the tables had been overturned and his Aunt Petunia was picking up the pieces of her antique vase while half glaring, half staring at with slight wariness at a pretty girl he didn't know with auburn hair.  Standing beside her was a similar looking boy.  His friends were standing off to the side and he could see that Ron was trying not to laugh at the auburn haired girl trying to help Aunt Petunia clean the pieces up.  There were also two other people he didn't know.  A young, petite blonde woman and a taller, but younger looking beautiful brunette.

            "Harry!" Hermione shouted when she saw him enter the living room.

            Harry had no time to react as she launched himself at him and wrapped him up into a fierce hug.

            "Don't hug him as hard as you did me.  We need him," Ron warned.

            After Hermione released him Ron came over and gave him not as fierce as a hug.

            "How you holding up mate?" he asked.

            "Okay I guess," Harry replied.

            The other four people were studying him very carefully.  The auburn-haired girl suddenly smiled and stepped forward and held out her hand.

            "Harry Potter, we finally meet at last.  Although you probably never heard of me.  I haven't actually done anything famous. I'm Jordan Firewell.  This is my brother, Aidan," she gestured to the boy beside her.

             Harry looked at her suspiciously and didn't take her hand.  What if she wasn't what she appeared to be?

            "It's alright boy.  They're not Death Eaters.  Glad to see you're on your guard though," grumbled a rough voice from the other side of the living room.

            Mad-Eye Moody was standing against the wall swiveling eye, scarred face, scraggly hair and all.  Having him there dispelled of little of Harry's suspicions but he had to be sure.

            "Okay then, what form does my Patronus take?" he asked.

            Jordan shrugged and looked around.

            "How the hell should I know?  I just met you," she said.

            "A stag," Hermione answered.

            He nodded his head, but still didn't extend his hand.

            "I won't bite you know.  It's my job now to kill those that bite anyway.  Besides, if we were Death Eaters we woulda killed you by now or kidnapped you and tortured you or something," Jordan said cheerfully.

            "My you are one to make a lasting first impression aren't you?" said the tall brunette.

            Jordan grinned mischievously at that and winked at Harry.  The corners of Harry's mouth turned up into a smile and he shook Jordan's hand.

            "Now see, that wasn't so bad was it?" said the blonde woman.

            "What the ruddy hell are you people doing in my house?!  I demand an explanation!" Uncle Vernon bellowed.

            Everyone's attention turned to the big guy who looked like he was about five seconds away from having a stroke.  His skin was turning into a mottled purple and a vein was popping out of his forehead.

            "Wow.  With skin that color and that vein popping out you could almost pass for a demon," joked the brunette.

            "Which would mean I would get to kill him," the blonde woman joked back.

            Harry almost laughed at that.  His uncle didn't seem to enjoy the jibes and stomped up to the two.  Harry felt a sudden desire to run to the defense of the brunette, but he stayed where he was.

            "Is that a threat?" his uncle snarled.

            "Well it will be in about five seconds if you don't stop leering at me," the blonde woman said pulling herself up to her not-so-impressive height but still managing to look intimidating.

            "You know if you value your bits and pieces and all you might wanna listen to her," Aidan warned the man.  He turned to Harry and added, "That's Buffy Summers, the blonde, and her sister Dawn by the way," Aidan told Harry.

            Buffy pushed aside Harry's uncle and with the brunette following her came to greet Harry.

            "Hi Harry.  Nice to meetcha," she said.

            "Hello.  What are you guys doing here anyway?" he asked.

            "Oh we've come to take you to head-" Jordan started.

            "Ahem!  What did I say girl?" Mad-Eye cut her off.

            Jordan groaned and rolled her eyes. "Sorry.  Scarface doesn't want me saying the name out loud here although I don't see how just saying the damn name would harm anything." she shot Mad-Eye an annoyed look as she said this.

            "FYI the name is Jordan by the way," she added as a retort.

            Mad-Eye glared at her in return with his eye rolling in its socket.  He didn't seem to like the nickname.

            "We'll explain everything there mate.  It's quite a story," Ron assured him.

            "Do you need help getting packed?" Hermione asked.

            "Um no.  I can manage," Harry said his heart lightening that he was leaving this place.

            "Hold up there boy!  I didn't say you could go anywhere," Uncle Vernon sneered.

            "What is it with you people?  You can't use names?" Jordan said.

            Buffy walked over to the man and put her hands on her hips.

            "Harry will go with us if he wants to and if you want to stop him you'll have to get through all of us.  And believe me you don't wanna go there pal," she said dangerously.

            Jordan and Aidan stood beside Buffy and Hermione and Dawn stood on either side of Harry.  Harry didn't think they all looked that threatening.  Mad-Eye maybe, but the others didn't exactly register in the cold sweat department.

            "You're joking right?  You expect me to be scared of _you_?" he sputtered.

            "No.  But I expect you to keep your distance after I do this," Buffy said and she kneed Uncle Vernon in the family jewels so hard all the other males in the room cringed.  

            "Vernon!" shrieked Aunt Petunia as she ran over to him.

            He had sunk to the ground and was laying in a fetal position moaning in a high-pitch voice.  Harry couldn't help himself; he burst out into laughter and was soon joined by the others.

            "Oh I wish I had a camera," he said.

            "That was for the hell I heard you put Harry through almost his entire life.  He's been through enough hell without you people making it worse," Buffy snarled at Harry's aunt and uncle.

            Jordan looked at Buffy and stepped away a bit because, truth be told, she was a little frightened of the slayer right now.  _Note to self: Never piss Buffy off.  Ever._  She was suddenly more grateful than ever that she was a girl.

            "Hey it'll be alright, just put ice on it and whatever swelling there is should go down," Aidan suggested while trying to suck in air after laughing so hard.

            "You're luckier than the last guy she got there," Dawn pointed out remembering Buffy's account on how she killed Caleb.

            "Come on mate, let's go pack," Ron clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder and the two boys went up to his room with Hermione following.

            It didn't take long for Harry to get his things ready.  He had never removed any of his belongings from his trunk and he didn't really have that many clothes.

            "You haven't even started on your homework!?" Hermione exclaimed.

            "Come on Hermione, give him a break.  He's been having a tough time," Ron said.

            "Oh of course.  Sorry Harry," she apologized.

            Harry smiled at her.  He really had missed his friends and he was very grateful that they had come to bring him out of this god-forsaken place.  

            "It's okay Hermione.  You know, if you want to show you're really sorry, you could do it all for me," he suggested innocently.

            "Ha ha!  That's a good one Harry!" Ron said heartily.

            Hermione just shook her head and muttered,

            "Honestly, you two."

***********************************************************************************************

            "Got all your stuff ready Harry?" Buffy asked as Harry, Ron, and Hermione descended the stairs with his stuff.

            Harry nodded in affirmative and stood next to Dawn.  Aidan threw some floo powder onto the fireplace and Buffy flooed back to HQ first.

            "So you're the famous Harry Potter everyone has talked about?" Dawn asked, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling.

            Harry was rendered speechless by her beauty.  He hadn't thought any girl could be prettier than Cho Chang, but apparently he stood corrected.  She had a clear pinkish complexion and shimmering brown hair with blonde streaks.  Her long lashes accented her dark blue eyes.  He found himself staring at her full lips, which were perfectly shaped in his opinion and were right now smiling at him.

            "Oh yeah, that's me," he finally answered as her question penetrated the membrane of his brain.

            "Looks like we're going to be schoolmates.  Me and the Firewell twins are coming to Hogwarts," she said.

            "Really?" he asked, clearly happy with the prospect.

            "Yeah, turns out I was supposed to have been trained as a witch years ago.  But living on the hellmouth blocked my signal I guess," she replied.

            "Hellmouth?  You lived on a hellmouth?" he asked in alarm.

            "Yeah, it's nothing but a huge hole in the ground now," she said casually.

            Harry dimly remembered reading something in the _Daily Prophet_ about a hellmouth in America being destroyed.  He didn't pay it that much attention.  Now he wished he had taken a better look at it.

            "We'll tell you the full story and everything when we get to, um, you know." she told him eyeing Mad-Eye warily.

            _My God he is cute.  Even more so in person._  Dawn wondered what troubles were hidden beneath those startling green eyes behind the glasses.  He looked normal on the outside, but then again so did she.  What made him so special?  She resisted the urge to pat down his unruly black hair.  When he spoke to her she felt little shudders run down her spine that she _knew_ had nothing to do with the cold even though the Dursleys had the air conditioning set at arctic temperatures.

            "Only seven more months.  Only seven more months.  Only seven more months," Jordan repeated over and over again to herself before she stepped into the fireplace.

            "What's that all about?" Harry asked Dawn after he heard Jordan's mantra.

            "She hates flooing.  I don't know what the seven more months is about though," she replied.

            Mad-Eye hung back until everyone else had left.  With a last half-amused, half-threatening glance at the Muggle couple he disapparated. 

            As soon as Harry left the fireplace he was pulled into the tight motherly embrace of Mrs. Weasley.

            "How are you Harry dear?  Hungry?  I've just made some supper," she said while smoothing down his hair.

            "Wotcher Harry!" came the bubbly familiar voice of Tonks.

            "Hi Tonks!" Hermione said behind him.

            The young female Auror came over to them.  Her hair (which no one knew the natural color) was colored in all the shades of blue there were.  She even had on blue robes to go with it.

            "I just got here not too long before you did.  Apparently we have some new allies," she said.

            Jordan was staring at her with a comical expression on her face.

            "Nice hair," Harry commented.

            "Really?  I don't know.  Maybe I'll try green instead," her hair instantly changed to match the color of Harry's eyes.

            "Holy freakin' crap!  You're a Metamorphmagus!" Jordan gasped coming forward to shake her hand.

            "Hi there.  Nymphadora Tonks, but please just call me Tonks.  I hate my first name," she said.

            "Jordan Firewell, one of the slayers," Jordan said.

            Harry's head snapped in her direction.  Did he just hear what he thought he heard?

            "You're a slayer?" he asked incredulously.  "I thought there was only one,"

            "Yeah there was, until like three days ago.  Gee it seems like a lot longer.  We'll explain it all to you.  But I want to eat," Jordan told him.

            Everyone was handed plates full of steaming food and while everyone was eating Harry, Tonks, and all who had not been told the story listened in rapt attention as the Scoobies explained about the destruction of the hellmouth and the activation of all the new slayers.  Harry's jaw dropped when he heard that Hermione was now also a slayer.

            "I wrote to Professor Dumbledore asking of his thoughts and then he showed up at my house and brought me to Jordan and Aidan's house where everything was explained.  I must say I am rather relieved that I am not the one and only Chosen as I had previously thought," she explained.

            "I can't believe-" Harry couldn't finish his sentence.  It seemed so surreal that Hermione was now one the beings they had once studied in Defense Against the Dark Arts.  Hermione the bookworm; Hermione the teacher's pet was one of the most powerful mortal beings on Earth now. 

            "I know, it's quite a bit to take in isn't it mate?" Ron said.

            "So could you throw, say, Percy through a wall?" one of the twins asked hopefully.

            "Well I am certain I could, but I haven't actually been trained in the arts of fighting yet.  That is why I will be staying at Hogwarts during the summer.  Buffy and Faith want to train me then so it won't interfere with my studies," she said.

            Hours passed in which they all exchanged stories about their lives and just generally got to know each other better.  Harry didn't talk much, but the silence from him was all Dawn needed to know to infer that he was in great emotional pain.  Something had happened to him that Hermione had failed to mention.  Maybe she didn't mention it for a reason, but Dawn could tell he was hurting badly.  Maybe all he needed was someone else to talk to.  She made her personal mission to try to get the elusive boy to speak of his pain and perhaps find some way to alleviate it.  Dawn hated to see people suffer.

            "Alright now.  You all can talk tomorrow.  Time to get to bed," Mrs. Weasley announced at 10:30.

            "But Mum!" Ginny and Ron pleaded.

            "No buts.  It's late," she said and when she settled her gaze upon her two youngest children they instantly quieted.

            "Uh, well, it's actually only like 3:30 where I live in the states.  I'm not tired," Jordan said.

            "But what about that shopping trip you were planning to take throughout London tomorrow?  You guys should get some sleep for that.  Dawn was born with my ability to shop people into the ground," Buffy said.

            Dawn couldn't hide her proud grin at that.

            "Hey!  Newly acquired slayer stamina, remember?" Jordan replied.

            "Obviously you have never been shopping with Dawn," Willow said remembering how exhaustive the girl could be. 

            "I guess we'll just have to use tomorrow to get used to the time-zone.  If Dawn is as serious a shopper as you claim then we should all be worn out enough to sleep a good sleep tomorrow night," Aidan said.

            "He makes a good point," Jordan said.

            "Harry, you wanna come shopping too?  Those clothes look way too big for you," Dawn asked him.

            "I er.......um........guess that would be okay.  I mean if you girls want me there," his speech wavered at the thought of spending so much time in a company dominated by the fairer sex.

            "Absolutely not!  Harry, I'm sorry, but we can't have you traipsing around in the open unless there is proper security.  I presume you shall be shopping in the Muggle parts of London?" Mrs. Weasley fixed her scrutinizing gaze on Buffy, which almost made the brave Slayer shudder.

            "Well that was the plan.  Me and my gang lost just about everything we own when our town sunk and Muggle clothes is what we're used to," she explained.

            Mrs. Weasley's gaze softened a bit.  She looked to the group of Aurors, which had grown in number due to the arrival of Jordan and Aidan's parents.  

            "My husband and I could accompany them.  We know a good deal of the Muggle ways and our children know even more.  Especially Jordan.  Harry would be sufficiently protected in the company of at least three slayers or four if Miss Granger will be accompanying.  My son trained along side his sister in many arts of defense and both are well adept at magical defense if the need arises.  Not to mention, the rest of Miss Summers' group including her sister are probably able protectors.  And I daresay that young Harry is quite capable of protecting himself," Mrs. Firewell said.

            Dawn felt an uprising of gratitude towards this woman.  She had just made known that she thought she was an able fighter and not a little girl _and the woman barely knew her_.  It had taken Buffy a good long time to recognize that.  Harry was also beginning to like this woman for saying that he could take care of himself.  He didn't want all these people putting themselves in danger just so he could get new clothes.  Although the thought of wearing clothes that weren't at least five sizes too big had its appeal.

            "Come on Molly, if Harry wants to go he should go," Mr. Weasley said.

            "Well if it's alright with Professor Dumbledore," Mrs. Weasley replied finally.

            Every one of the teenagers turned their gazes onto Dumbledore.  He smiled at the faces of pleading that they were putting on.  

            "I can see no reason why not," he answered.

            "Harry?  You wanna come?  Ron can come too and my brother will be there so you won't be the only guy," Jordan said.

            He was still a little unsure, but the look on Dawn's face made his mind up so he said, "Alright.  I could use some new clothes anyway." 

            "That's the spirit!" Jordan piped up.

            "I'd love to come, but I wanna get back to LA and see how Robin and the girls are doing," Faith said.

            "Okay.  We'll see you later then?" Buffy asked her fellow slayer.

            "You know it B," Faith replied before making her way to the fireplace.

            After Faith flooed back to the Hyperion Mrs. Weasley ushered everyone into bed; even those who had come from America and were not tired at all.  Jordan, Dawn, and Hermione stayed with Ginny in her room.  Buffy shared a room with Willow.  Aidan bunked with Ron and Harry with the twins occasionally popping up to ask questions of their new American friend; mostly if any of his female friends (including his sister) were available.  Much to Giles' displeasure, he had to share a room with Xander who would not stop calling him G-man.  It seems everyone has a cross to bear.


	12. Chapter Twelve

I would have posted this sooner, but going back to school and trying to cram all the things I learned from every class to take exams next week got in the way.  We're starting a new semester and it's been like hell.  Thanks a bunch to my reviewers!

**matt: **Yeah I liked Vi and the others.  The surviving slayers from the battle at the hellmouth that have joined the fight against Voldemort will probably be at Hogwarts assisting Buffy in training new slayers and all.

**Draco-FutureBF:**  I am glad you like the story and I thank you for the compliments.  Hope you enjoy this chapter.  

**gyver21: **Oz was a great guy, but since I'm keeping Willow gay there isn't much chance the two will get back together.  I may bring him into the story though.

**dancetdplc: **Yeah seeing it from a different p.o.v. it doesn't seem rather tasteless, but I was a little out of sorts while writing it.  Hopefully you can overlook that part.  I don't agree about Jordan though, she seemed the same to me.  Even if she did get a bit immature she's a teenager.  We all get immature at times.

**ILuvSexySevvy: **Sev and Buffy?  Now that is a weird pairing.  Sorry though, I don't see it happening in this fic.  Thanks for the suggestion though.

**Gabby: **Yeah Jordan's parents do know a good deal of the Order members having fought alongside them against Voldemort.  And damn!  I didn't see that interview!  I hope I'll get to see a rerun sometime.

**Imp17: **Yeah I think that is one of the things everyone dreams about while reading the books.

**Silver Warrior: **Your review made me conjure up some weird and disturbing images.  It would be pretty disturbing if Dudley had a sister.  It doesn't seem like the Dursleys are intent on expanding their family anytime soon.  Thank God!

Thanks also to **Kristy Marie**,** CF28**,and** Destiny's Dragon** for reviewing.  

Big thanks to my pal, Matthew, who gave me suggestions and helped me out when I was stuck.  He was the one who came up with the "family jewels" remark.  This one is dedicated to you. 

***********************************************************************************************

            "So this is like a wizard mall?" Dawn asked as she walked the streets of Diagon Alley beside Harry.

            "I guess you could put it that way," Harry answered.

            Their first stop of the day had been to Diagon Alley so Dawn and Jordan could get all their school supplies.  Tomorrow they would leave for Hogwarts to begin their summer lessons.  Jordan hadn't been to Diagon Alley that much in the past so she relied on Harry, Ron, and Ginny to show them where to get all their stuff.  Buffy and Giles going to various weapons shops with Hermione to get her all the things she would need for her training as a slayer. 

            "What are you going to get first?" Harry asked.

            "Um, a wand would be cool.  Where can we get wand?" she asked.

            Harry led her to a shop called _Ollivander's_.

            "Right here," he gestured to the store.

            They all stepped into the dimly lit shop and Harry noticed that it hadn't changed much since he had been in here almost five years ago.  It was still wall-to-wall boxes crammed together filled with the magical instruments known as wands.  Dawn let out a small gasp of wonder and delight.  Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness.  _I'm going to buy a wand!  I really am a witch!_

            "Ahh Mr. Potter, how nice to see you again.  I see you have friends with you," came Mr. Ollivander's voice as he came to greet his customers.

            "Mr. Weasley.  Miss Weasley.  How is everything?  Your parents and brothers doing well?  I heard some rather strange stories about the Weasley twins," he said to Ron and Ginny.

            Harry, Ron, and Ginny shared amused grins.  Dawn glanced at Jordan and the girl just shrugged.

            "We'll tell you later.  It's a real good story," Ron said.

            "Who might you lovely young ladies be?" Mr. Ollivander asked Dawn and Jordan.

            "Two new students from America transferring to Hogwarts.  This is Dawn Summers and Jordan Firewell," Harry told him.

            "Firewell?  You wouldn't happen to be related to Christopher Firewell?" the old man asked.

            A wave of sadness flickered over Jordan's features.  Christopher Firewell had been her grandfather.  He had been one of the best Aurors in the Wizarding World.  He had been killed on duty when she and Aidan were not even six months old.  

 When she was younger she wanted to be an Auror just like him and her parents when she grew up, but she found that one had to be good in some of the subjects she sorely lacked talent for.          

"He was my grandfather.  But he died before my brother and I were a year old," she said softly.

"Ah yes.  Great man, he was.  I only met him once or twice, but he was a great man," Mr. Ollivander said.

He walked into the back room and came out with two boxes.

"So will both of you be needing wands?" he asked.

"No, just me.  Jordan already has one, I think," Dawn said.

"Which one is your wand hand Miss Summers?" Mr. Ollivander inquired.

"Um, well I'm right-handed it that's what you mean," Dawn replied.

After he measured her arm, he handed her a wand that had unicorn hair at its core and told her to flick it.  She did as told and after she shattered his glass globe he snatched it away and handed her another one.  

"This one has the feather of an Aethonan flying horse," he mentioned while handing her the wand.

Dawn immediately felt warmth spread through her fingers and silver sparks shot out of the wand when she swung it.  Jordan, Harry, Ron, and Ginny clapped.

"That was quick.  It took forever for me to find a match," Harry remarked.

They had already made a trip to Gringotts where Buffy opened up an account and exchanged their money.  There was a lot of money left over from the Watcher's Council and Giles said that they should use some of it as compensation for the hell the Council put them at times.  Since he was the oldest surviving member of the Council he was now in charge of it.  Dawn paid for her wand and they set out to get fitted for robes next.  After getting their robes, the two girls went to _Flourish and Blotts _to get their schoolbooks.

            Aidan and Mrs. Firewell were already in there.  Aidan had bought all the required schoolbooks, but he had increased his load by buying many fiction novels and books on Quidditch.  Harry had already offered to let Dawn borrow his standard spell books that he used in his first five years of Hogwarts, so she didn't have to buy as much.  

            "You know, this whole book thing is making the idea of studying magic not as glamorous," Dawn complained after she purchased her books.

            "At least we do the things out of the books.  Just wait until you're in History of Magic.  That class is the epitome of boredom," Harry told her.

            "Well it should be more interesting than Muggle history, right?" Dawn said hopefully.

            That was what Harry first thought back in his first year at Hogwarts.  Boy was he disappointed after his first class with their dull, _dead _teacher Professor Binns.  One would think having a ghost for a teacher would at least raise the interest, but the novelty wore off, quickly.

            "Hmmm.  Any chance I could, um, not take that class?  I have this weird habit of zoning out when things get boring, which means I do it an awful lot in history class.  Unless your history class is more interesting than mine," Jordan said.

            "No chance there.  Our teacher is as dull as they come, despite the fact that he's a ghost," Ron replied.

            "Damn," Jordan muttered.

            "He's a ghost?!" Dawn exclaimed.

            "Yeah.  Hogwarts has lots of ghosts.  The ghost for our Gryffindor house is a chap named Nearly-Headless Nick," Ron said.

            Dawn didn't like the sound of that.  She hadn't had good experiences with the dead, non-solid type.  Jordan, on the other hand, didn't care because there were ghosts at her school too.

            "_Nearly-Headless_ Nick?" Jordan said inquisitively.    

            "Well his _real_ name is Sir Nicholas, but everyone calls him Nearly-Headless Nick because he is nearly headless.  Apparently the axe used to behead him was not very sharp," Ginny said.

            "Who's beheading someone?" came the voice of Buffy as she, Hermione, and Giles joined the group.

            "They were just telling us about this ghost at Hogwarts that had his head nearly cut off," Dawn told her sister.

            "There are ghosts at your school?" Giles asked.

            "Oh they're harmless.  We have a poltergeist too, his name is Peeves.  He mostly just plays harmless pranks," Harry explained while Ron and Ginny snorted.  Some of Peeves' pranks were not very harmless.

            "See Mom?  They got a poltergeist.  Didn't you used to be interested in studying them?" Aidan asked his mother.

            "Well yes, until one dumped cow dung all over me.  I kind of lost my passion for the work after that," Mrs. Firewell said.

            The rest of the people around grimaced in disgust at the thought of having cow dung dumped on them.

            "Yep, that'll do it," Buffy remarked.

            "So where are Xander and Willow?" Dawn asked. "I wanted to show them all my new stuff."   

            "I was just about to ask you guys if you had seen them.  I think we lost Will right around the magical pet shop and Xander, I have no idea where he went off to," Buffy said.

            "So Hermione, what slayer equipment did you get?" Jordan asked.

            "Well we went to this store where they actually sell things specifically for fighting the demon kind.  I got a crossbow and a few stakes for my own and Buffy bought me this lovely cross necklace as a sort of initiation present.  She said it was like a necessity for every slayer.  I decided that I shouldn't go overboard on the weapons since I haven't had any training," she said showing them the silver necklace around her neck.

            "Where's yours Jordan?" Ron asked noticing that Jordan wasn't wearing one.

            "Good question.  It must've gotten ripped off when I was fighting at the hellmouth," she said.

            While they were chatting Mr. Firewell showed up with Xander.  Mr. Firewell looked like he had just heard the most amusing joke in the world and Xander was looking like a kid who just got his lunch money stolen.

            "Rescued him from the Leaky Cauldron," Jordan's father explained.

            "How was I supposed to know what kind of knut they wanted?" Xander said.

            "Xander, didn't we go over the basics of wizard money this morning?" Giles asked in an exasperated tone.

            "Well who names their coins _knuts_ anyway?" Xander retorted.

            After the school shopping was completed they set out to do some serious clothes shopping.  They managed to drag Willow away from the magic pet shop, but then Dawn decided she wanted to peruse the aisles full of strange, wonderful creatures as well.

            "You use owls to send mail?" Dawn asked Harry who had been sticking rather close to her the entire time.  Of course she wasn't complaining.

            "Yeah.  My owl's name is Hedwig.  She was out hunting when you guys came, but she'll find her way to me.  She always does," he told her.

            "Neat.  Buffy can I get an owl?" she asked her sister.

            "I guess it could be useful.  But you're cleaning up after it," Buffy replied.

            "Deal," Dawn said immediately.

            She chose a chocolate brown male owl and named him Will in honor of Spike.  She didn't think _Spike_ was a proper name for an owl, so she used his real name instead.  As she and the others walked out of the store with Dawn's new pet she felt the familiar painful twinge of the loss of the vampire who had been like a big brother to her.  With that twinge came other twinges for everyone else she lost.  _Oh don't start blubbering now in front of everyone.  Let the tears come later._  She sniffed and blinked back the sudden invasion of the salty liquid.  

            "Dawn?  Are you okay?" Harry asked her.

            She wiped her eyes and laughed nervously.

            "Uh...yeah...it's just the name I gave to my owl.  Big time connections with someone I loved," she said.

            This didn't make Harry too happy.  The last girl he was interested in had also been suffering from the grief of losing her boyfriend and he had a feeling Dawn was going through the same thing.  

            "Was he your...er...boyfriend?" he asked awkwardly.

            Dawn shook her head.

            "I did used to have a crush on him, but he was always like a big brother to me," she said softly.  "He died saving the world.  He died a hero," as she spoke Harry could detect the sadness ebbing away and pride taking its place.

            "I'm sorry.  I lost someone recently too.  My godfather," he said sympathetically.

            "Oh.  I'm sorry Harry.  It's never easy to lose a person you love.  Especially if that person died protecting you," she said remembering Buffy's own sacrifice to save her.

            Harry found himself wanting to pour his heart out to this girl he had only met less than 24 hours ago.  Keeping his pain inside was beginning to wear down on him, but he just couldn't bring himself to talk to his friends.  They just wouldn't understand.  But he knew Dawn would.  

            After Dawn, Jordan, Aidan, and Hermione sent their supplies along with Mrs. Weasley to take back to headquarters they left Diagon Alley.  Ron and Ginny, after begging their mother almost a thousand times, were allowed to go with them to Muggle London.  Mr. Weasley, in an attempt to make his wife feel better, also went along.  Those that knew him better, however, suspected that his ulterior motive was to explore the world that he had always held in such fascination.  Tonks was coming as extra protection for Harry.  After the Scoobies gave her some pointers on Muggle clothes she had effectively changed her appearance to that of a Muggle Goth.  Although that hadn't been what they had in mind the disguise worked well enough.

            "You know, I wanted to be a Metamorphmagus when I was little, well that and a unicorn.  It kinda got shot down when I got to school and found that I was horrible at transfiguration.  You have to be a born one anyway don't you?" Jordan said to Tonks as they walked into a store.

            "Yeah.  I'm dead-awful at stealth and tracking though.  You won't find a clumsier girl than me I'd wager," Tonks replied.

            The females of the Scooby group instantly started trying on all sorts of clothes while Xander just found his size and filled his bag with the bare essentials.  Harry had no idea what he should get.  He had more than enough Muggle money with him after exchanging some Wizard money at Gringotts, but he had never been clothes shopping before.  Everything he wore was just handed down from Dudley.  Aidan and Xander, after finishing his shopping rather quickly, agreed to help him out.  Mr. Firewell would have, but while knew many things about the Muggle world, the way they dressed was not among them.  His daughter had advised him and his wife on what to wear that day.  So he settled for just following his son and Harry around as protection.

            "I'm not the expert on fashion I warn you," Aidan told him.

            "I don't care, I just don't want to look like I've stepped out of a time portal or anything," Harry said.

            "I think Dad would buy the whole store out if he had the money.  He would love all these shirts with these weird Muggle sayings," Ron remarked as he held up a shirt that read, _Dyslexics of the World Untie.  _"What do you figure that means?" he added.

***********************************************************************************************

            "Hey Dawn, wanna get this hair product for Harry?  Might help his hair flatten," Jordan said to her friend as she held up a black container.

            "I kinda like it like that," Dawn replied.

            Jordan stared at the girl suspiciously and then she grinned.

            "Uh huh, and I bet you just wanna run your hands through that untidy hair of his doncha?" she teased.

            "Shut up," Dawn retorted, her face reddening in embarrassment.

            "Dost thou have rosy cheeks?  Thou musteth be infatuated with the boy who lived," Jordan teased some more.

            "Okay, so I think he's hot and I think he's really nice.  Can you blame me?" Dawn said.

            "He seems pretty cool," Jordan said.

            While they spoke, Dawn kept handing all sorts of cosmetic products to Jordan.  

            "I don't know what it is.  It's just, when I talk to him I feel the butterflies going crazy in my stomach," she admitted.

            Jordan didn't say anything to that.  She was looking at the products Dawn was handing her.

            "You could have gotten stuff like this in Diagon Alley," she said examining a can of hair spray.

            "I know.  I'm more used to this stuff though," Dawn said., 

            "Are you going to be finished anytime soon?  Cuz I'm starving," Jordan said.

            Dawn rolled her eyes and took the load from Jordan and took it to the counter to pay.  After she paid for them she and Jordan went to meet the others in a restaurant down the street.

            "Well it's about time," Buffy said.

            "Sorry, Dawn had to get her feminine products and stuff," Jordan said taking a seat next to her brother and after noticing the looks on most of the boys' faces she added, "Oh jeez, not that kind.  Makeup and hair stuff."

            Dawn sat down next to Harry, much to his delight and handed the bag to her sister, who was sitting on the other side of him.  

            "Hold that for me, will you?" she asked.

            "What am I to you?  Your wheelbarrow?" Buffy said in mock indignation.

            Tonks sat beside Buffy across from where Willow, Ginny, and Hermione sat.  She was amusing the three by changing the shape of her nose.  Even though Ginny and Hermione had already seen it countless times it still succeeded in making them laugh.  Giles was smart in requesting a separate dining area for reasons being that he had a large group coming.  

            "That's amazing!" Willow exclaimed.

            Tonks grinned at her and changed her hair from the spiky red and black to long and red like Willow's.  

            "Do try to exercise more caution," Giles admonished the young Auror.

            "Yes, we are in a public Muggle place Tonks even if we are in a separate room.  What if a Muggle were to walk in here and see you like that?" Mrs. Firewell said. 

            "No worries about that Aurora, I charmed the room.  No one approaches the door without my knowing it.  And no one can get in by magic either in case one of Voldemort's cronies decides to pay us a visit, which is doubtful," Mr. Firewell said.

            Everyone's heads whipped around towards the door when screams sounded from outside their room.  Jordan glared at her father.

            "You just _had_ to say that, didn't you Dad?" she said.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

            Whoo-hoo lucky number 13!  Matthew pointed out to me that knuts is actually pronounced k-nuts, which is lame.  I don't even remember them going over it in the movies.  Anyway, let's just pretend that it is actually pronounced without the "k"; it's funnier that way.  I'm sorry it took me a while to update, but I aced all my exams (I think) and now I got a big five day weekend.  Thanks a bunch to my reviewers!

**gyver21: **You're perfectly welcome to use that way of getting rid of Kennedy.  I'll take a gander at your fic and tell you what I think.

**ScruffyWes: **Yeah I think Hermione and Ron do make more sense as a pair and I'm glad you like the Harry and Dawn sparks.  Draco will still be a bad boy throughout most of this fic because it takes time to change.  Don't worry you'll see more Wesley and the rest of the Angel gang.  Just have to wait a couple of chapters.

**A Watcher: **Yeah cliffhangers are fun to write, not so much fun to read though.  

**CaptJesus:**Don't worry, lots more Aidan to come and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come as well.

**dancetdplc: **Well I'm definitely not one to judge who is going crazy or not cuz I'm a little not with it myself, but I am pretty sure this is leading towards a Willow/Tonks pairing.  Glad you liked the last line, I thought we could use a jinx.

**becks89: **Hehe, you'll just have to scroll down to read and find out.

**Xan: **I'm glad you were open-minded enough to give it a shot and I'm delighted to see I proved you wrong.  

**NoAlias: **Sorry, hope this helps.

**matt: **Like I said above Willow and Tonks are probably going to hook up.  Nice to see you liked the t-shirt and jinx thing.    

Thanks also to **Silver Warrior **and **CF28** for reviewing.  Enjoy!

***********************************************************************************************

            The screams emanating from outside their private room made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck rise.  His mind instantly started making all kinds of theories as to what was causing the screams.  The scariest one was that Voldemort and his Death Eaters had done some locator spell and were going to kill him and all those around him.  Despite his morbid thoughts earlier, he didn't want to die.  Not yet.  And his friends (new and old) were in here.  So as Buffy opened the door a crack to see what was causing the problem he prayed over and over, _Please don't be him.  Please don't be him.  _

The blonde slayer saw before her eyes a pack of at least twelve demons in the restaurant.  They were of all different shapes, sizes, and species, but they all looked equally ugly to her.  The customers and employees screaming and running about in a panic provided a sufficient distraction from Buffy and her friends, but it wouldn't last long.  She shut the door and turned to the rest of the group.

            "Demons.  You guys have to get out of here," she told them.

            Harry breathed a barely audible sigh of relief.  He had never seen nor faced a demon before, but anything to him was better than Voldemort.

            "How many?" Giles asked.

            "Twelve give or take.  I didn't take time to count.  Willow, Giles, I want you two with me.  The rest of you get back to Headquarters.  Can one of you magic people-"

            She was cut off due to a bloodcurdling shriek from Ginny as a demon came plowing through the kitchen doors behind them.  Mr. Weasley instantly covered his daughter protectively and tried to stun the demon, but it was too fast for him and swatted him aside.  He flew across the room and crashed into the wall with a sickening thud.  

            "Dad!" Ron cried.

            Buffy was about to tackle the demon when the door leading into the main part of the restaurant burst open and she was thrown forward into the room.  She put her arms out in front of her and somersaulted back to her feet.  Once on her feet she attacked the demon that had Ginny cowering in a corner.  She heard the three Aurors yelling out numerous words and phrases that she didn't understand so they must've been spells.  _Good more firepower._

Before Harry knew what was happening he was pushed under the table by Tonks and she and the other two Aurors stood in front of him while hurling various hexes at the demons.  What about the others?  Why was he the only one under the table?  What about Dawn?

Dawn, at the moment was fighting at Jordan's side.  Well, Jordan was doing most of the fighting, but Dawn threw in a well-aimed punch or kick every now and then.  The number of demons had been reduced somewhat thanks to the magical efforts of Willow and the Aurors, but the remaining ones had wised up and were now trying to disable those four while dodging any curses that came their way.  Some curses even bounced off of them harmlessly.  

            "Dawn!  Heads up!" Jordan yelled.

            Dawn ducked to avoid the swing taken at her by a bluish-green demon with claws.  The species name of the demon floated around in the back of her mind, but as of right now she didn't care what it was.  Jordan kicked its legs out from under it and when it fell to the floor she wrapped her arms around its neck and gave it a good twist.  She heard the satisfying snap of the neck and let it fall completely to the floor.

            "Gotta love that slayer strength," she remarked breathlessly. 

            Harry watched in mute fascination coupled with horror at the spectacle of two teenage girls killing a demon twice their size.  _Is that what Hermione is capable of?  _He scanned the room for his best friends.

Hermione didn't exactly know what she was doing.  Her mind was telling her to duck and cover, but her body begged to differ.  Something Jordan had said about letting slayer instinct take over had come to her mind when the demons attacked.  Granted she had no prior training in any type of martial arts, but her body seemed to know what to do well enough.  It seemed that she had ceased being Hermione, the teacher's pet, the bookworm, and had let herself become someone completely different.  A slayer.  When one of the demons had come towards her and Ron, she gritted her teeth and stepped between her best friend and the demon and before it even saw it coming she had picked up one of the chairs and swung it around to hit the demon square in the chest.  The force of the blow threw it halfway across the room.  Ron's jaw dropped at that display of power.  

            "Hermione, that-"

            "Not now Ron," she ordered sternly.

            She grabbed onto his sleeve and they went over to Ginny who was kneeling by her father's still form.  

            "He's alive, but he's going to have a nasty headache when he wakes up," Ginny told them.  They all let out collective sighs of relief.

            He watched his friends beside the unconscious man's body and could no longer stand staying under the table.  He had to know if Mr. Weasley was alright.  He bolted from where the Aurors had made him stay and quickly ran to his best friends' sides.  

            "Is he alright?" Harry asked anxiously.

            "Yeah.  I think.  He's alive anyway," Ron replied.

            "You think they need any help out there?" Harry asked him.

            "I think they know what they're doing," his best friend said.

            "Just the same.  Wands out, I reckon?" Harry said.

            Ron, Ginny, and Hermione nodded their heads in agreement and pulled their wands out.  

Giles, Aidan, and Xander were taking on two demons together.  Both of the older men were very surprised at the amount of skill the boy showed.  He apparently had not been left in the cold while his sister trained.  Aidan had been completely paralyzed with fear when the first demon burst through.  He had always pictured himself battling bravely and ferociously against the evils of this world alongside his twin.  But, having never before seen a demon in the flesh let alone kill one, he had completely forgot all about his previous fantasies and only one thought entered his mind, _Run away!  _He swallowed that fear when he watched his sister fight a demon.  He had trained with her, sparred with her (even winning on occasion), but he had never seen her truly fight.  This was his first glimpse of it and it gave him a sorely needed confidence booster.  He threw himself completely into his training and unleashed hell upon his foes. 

"Whoa Jordan!  Check out your brother!  He's totally waling on those demons!" Dawn exclaimed.

Jordan couldn't help but let out a proud grin as she watched her twin brother pummel a demon.  In her mind she kept chanting, _Yeah, that's my brother!  Doesn't he kick ass?!  _Unfortunately the scene had distracted Jordan from her own fight and the demon took the opportunity to grab her arm and twist it around into a rather painful position.  Another snapping sound that was not as satisfying as the last she heard filled Jordan's ears.  _Oh God, please don't let that be my arm.  _That plea was in vain, however, as the pain finally registered.  _Damn._  The demon flung her onto the table and she rolled off of it and onto the floor in front of Harry and his friends.

"Jordan?!" Hermione exclaimed.

The auburn-haired slayer gave them a weak smile.

"Hi guys.  Just checking in," she said between winces of pain.

"Where's Dawn?" Harry asked.

Jordan's eyes widened and she tried to get up but her arm greatly protested the movement.

"She was fighting beside me," she said.

Harry stood up and saw that the demon had its slimy hands wrapped around Dawn's neck and it was strangling her.  He aimed his wand, not even caring about the consequences he could suffer, and was prepared to hex the demon when Buffy came to the rescue.  She kicked it so hard in the gut that it doubled over and dropped Dawn.  Mr. Firewell darted forward and helped Dawn.  His sleeve was ripped and his arm was bleeding.  Tonks and Mrs. Firewell were also pretty bruised up themselves.  

"Is she okay?" Harry inquired with worry.

"I'm fine," Dawn said in a raspy voice as she rubbed her throat. "Is Jordan alright?"

"I'm just peachy.  I, uh, can't move the fingers on my left hand though.  Good thing I'm a righty," Jordan smiled through the throbbing twinges of agony that were assaulting her left arm.

Mr. Firewell knelt beside his daughter and carefully lifted her broken arm.  He prodded it and felt for a break.

"Ow!  Dad!  It's broken!  I kind of figured that out with the snapping sound and all," she cried as she tried to pull her arm out of her father's hands.

***********************************************************************************************

Instead of killing the demon that had almost taken her sister from her, Buffy had Willow do a binding spell on it so she could question it.  The other eleven demons lay either unconscious or dead around the room.  Luckily none of the humans of the room suffered any casualties.  Even so, when demons attack you right before you eat dinner and thus postpone your dinner making you even hungrier than you were it tends to piss you off.  

"Start talking.  I wanna know what you guys were doing here," Buffy said, her voice serious and hard.             

The demon was gray in color with black eyes, and eight fingers on each hand.  Its head was composed of a gaping mouth with broken, blunted teeth, a flat circular nose, and a huge bump on the top of its head.  It looked at the slayer and gave off a sound that sounded like a laugh.

"Slayer.  You're not welcome here.  More will come to kill you and yours if you stay.  Go back to the states where you belong," it snarled in its guttural voice.

"How did you know she was the slayer before?" Willow asked.

"I won't tell you anything except to go home or die.  This isn't your business," it said.

Mrs. Firewell aimed her wand at the demon.

"Do you work for Voldemort?" she asked.

The demon didn't answer her but gave off another laugh.  Buffy gripped its neck and squeezed hard, cutting off its air supply.

"You're a demon, I'm a slayer.  Ergo completely my business," she hissed.

She turned to the other adults.  

            "Buffy we need to get the kids back to Headquarters.  Jordan needs her arm taken care of and Mr. Weasley needs tended to," Giles said.

            "Can one of you get them back with one of those portkey things?" she asked the Aurors.

            "Yeah.  Tonks can go with them and I can take the surviving demons in for questioning.  It's possible that they might be in league with Voldemort, which counts as Auror business.  My wife will stay to clean up and erase memories," Mr. Firewell told her.

            "Has Voldemort worked with demons before?" Willow asked.

            "He's been known to," Tonks replied.

            "What I want to know is how they knew Buffy was the slayer.  That can't be of the good," Xander pointed out.

            "More reason to believe that they're working with Voldemort.  He could've sent them after you," Mr. Firewell said.

            "If Voldemort knows who I am then why didn't he just come himself?" she asked.

            "Buffy we don't even know it's Voldemort they're working for," Giles said.

            Buffy sighed in frustration.  If this dark wizard already knew who she was then he was turning out to be a bigger problem than she thought.  If this was the work of some other evil power then that was just as bad.  She was pretty sure this all had something to do with Voldemort.  Since she was now an ally of Dumbledore and a defender of Harry Potter she probably had already made it on his "people to kill" list.  Thankfully it seemed Voldemort didn't know much about Buffy personally to think a pack of demons was enough to take her out.  

            Tonks charmed one of the silver platters on the table into a portkey and everyone gathered around it.  Aidan kept a secure hold on his sister whose arm was now immobilized thanks to her mother.  Xander and Giles lifted Mr. Weasley's unconscious form and carried him to the table.  Mr. Firewell had contacted some other Aurors to help bring in the demons and assist his wife in the aftermath cleanup.

            Ginny was shaking uncontrollably as she reached out to touch the platter.  Ron put a reassuring arm around his younger sister.

            "It's okay Ginny.  Dad'll be fine.  Mum will fix him up right quick," he told her.  She gulped and nodded.

            When they got back to Headquarters they found the house mostly empty.  Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen making supper while Dumbledore spoke with a man dressed in black robes with very greasy hair and dark, cold eyes.  Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Tonks knew it was Professor Snape.  Introductions weren't made yet for the others, however, because Mrs. Weasley shrieked in horror when she saw the state of the group.

            "Arthur!  Merlin's beard!  What happened!?" she cried as she ran over to where Xander and Giles were carrying Mr. Weasley.

            "Demons attacked us at a restaurant in the city," Jordan explained as Aidan helped her into a chair.

            "Demons?!  Oh my!  Ron, Ginny are you okay?  Harry?  Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley pulled her children into a suffocating hug.

            "They're fine Mrs. Weasley," Tonks said in a soothing tone.

            "Who's your friend?" Buffy asked Dumbledore while gesturing to Snape.

            "Severus Snape.  He is the Potions professor at Hogwarts and will be instructing your sister there," Dumbledore told her.

            "Buffy Summers," she held out her hand to the man.

            He looked at her hand in what could almost be called disdain and then reluctantly took it.  

            "I know who you are Miss Summers.  Professor Dumbledore had been telling me all about you and your work," he said in an oily, ominous voice.

            After Mr. Weasley had finally awakened and Jordan had her broken arm treated they all recounted the event while eating dinner.  They never did get to eat at that restaurant thanks to the demons.  Dumbledore seemed troubled by the notion of Voldemort already knowing about Buffy.  He frowned many times during the story and stroked his beard thoughtfully.    

"Do you think it's possible he already knows about me?" Buffy asked.

"It is indeed possible.  Voldemort has many loyal followers and allies with many manners of powers and connections," Dumbledore told her.

"Isn't that just our luck?  We get another enemy who seems to know everything," Xander muttered.

"Do not worry Mr. Harris.  It is possible that that may be all Voldemort knows.  As long as you all stay within the boundaries of the Wizarding world this should not happen again.  I daresay he will try something more drastic next time if killing you and yours was his intention," Dumbledore told them.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jordan asked.

"It means he could have just been testing Buffy out.  Seeing how good she was," Aidan said.

Dawn yawned while they debated the point over and over.  She had barely gotten any sleep the night before and this day had been exhausting.  Demon fighting on top of all day shopping.  She and Jordan would be going to Hogwarts tomorrow and she didn't fancy being a zombie in the morning for it.  Dumbledore must've noticed how tired she and the others were because he raised his hand to silence the room.

"Perhaps we can continue the discussion some other time.  I believe you all should get some rest.  I will tell the other Order members what happened although they may already know from Mr. and Mrs. Firewell," he said.

"Yes!  To bed all of you!" Mrs. Weasley ordered.

Ron and Ginny were too tired to argue, as was the rest of the group.  So they all wearily trudged up to their rooms.  

"Where'd you learn to fight like that mate?" Ron asked Aidan.

"I trained with my sister since we were eight.  Although that was the first time I ever fought a demon," he replied.

"Blimey.  Gonna have to learn some of that stuff," Ron said quietly.  "What about you Harry?  Harry?"

Harry was already snoring into his pillow.

Jordan lay awake long after her three roommates had fallen asleep.  The events of today and the troubling things they had spoken about with Dumbledore had kept the sleep at bay.  Mrs. Weasley had done a pretty effective healing spell on her arm, but it was still sore.  She chided herself for getting distracted in battle.  That was one thing she would have to work on.  Mandy had always scolded her on it._  Focus on the battle Jordan.  You are too easily distracted.  Try and act like you do when you read a book or make a potion._  Which didn't help much because when she did those things she was pretty much in her own little world and didn't respond to anyone. That was why Aidan was able to best her in sparring matches sometimes.  Although seeing him fight that demon like a pro made her feel a lot better about losing to him in previous matches.  He was a formidable opponent.  

Her thoughts strayed from her twin back to Voldemort.  She didn't want to think about him right now.  He gave her cold sweats.  The First she could handle because it was incorporeal and couldn't physically hurt you.  But Voldemort was a whole other story.  She couldn't understand how Harry and his friends survived the Ministry skirmish against him those few weeks ago.  Of course no one would have ever thought a bunch of teenage girls could hold back thousands of Ubervamps.  What were they going to do about all those slayers out there not yet found?  Did Voldemort know about all the newly called slayers too?  For hers and their sake Jordan sincerely hoped not.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

            I'm back and here is the one a lot have been waiting for.  They _finally_ get to Hogwarts.  Again many thanks to my reviewers and especially Matthew for helping me out on the story.  

**Galthos: **Not that I'm totally against the idea of Luna and Xander, but I think she is a bit too young for him.  I doubt we'll see more of Kennedy, or at least an evil Kennedy.  I don't think Luna will be a slayer though.  Thanks for the suggestions anyway.

**Aaron: **Well thanks, and don't worry it won't get bogged down in summer. 

**Kristy Marie: **Yeah I couldn't just have those two run off to the sidelines.  As for what the demons are up to, that'll be revealed in the next couple of chapters.

**becks89: **I like raspberries.  lol.  I intended to have this in earlier, but I have three younger siblings that never seem to want to leave the room when I'm on the comp and they have to play on the comp too.  You're welcome to have my sister, it might speed up the story.  lol.

**wyredsisters: **Okay okay here they are you can stop pouting.

Thanks also to **Jillian Ryn**, **Gabby**, **SPASH Panther**, and **ScruffyWes **for reading and reviewing.  

***********************************************************************************************

"Oh God!  Can someone shut that goddamn portrait up?!" Jordan yelled as she clapped her hands over her ears.

It was around nine in the morning at Headquarters and Tonks had tripped over the pile of luggage at the bottom of the stairs.  She ran into the little table near it and both her and the table crashed to the floor rather loudly.  Those that slept through that were unfortunately awoken by the screams of the portrait of Sirius' mother, Mrs. Black.  

"BLOOD TRAITORS!  MUDBLOOD FILTH!   DEFILING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS!" she screamed over and over like a broken record.

"Can't you, you know, do something magical?" Dawn asked.

"We've tried already.  She must have put a permanent sticking charm on the back and silencing charms don't seem to work," Mrs. Weasley said.

Dawn shot a hopeful look at Willow and the redheaded Wicca nodded in understanding.  Their magic didn't work, but perhaps a little Wiccan magic would.

"I'll be right back," she said and left the kitchen with everyone but Dawn staring in confusion.

Mrs. Black's screams were abruptly silenced.

"Much better," Jordan remarked as she brought her hands down.

Willow came back into the kitchen with a triumphant smile on her face.

"What?  How did you do that?" Harry asked in awe.

"You're a bloody genius!" Tonks exclaimed in admiration.

"I just did a silencing spell of my own.  It's only temporary though," Willow said before sitting back down and resuming eating her breakfast.

"Good going Will," Buffy told her.

"So how are you guys getting to Hogwarts?" Xander asked.

"By portkey I believe," Hermione said.

"We're leaving whenever Professor Dumbledore gets here," Dawn said.

Aidan burst into the kitchen angrily.  His auburn hair was wet and dripping.  

"What is it with that little creep?  He wouldn't leave the bathroom when I wanted to take a shower," he said as he sat beside his sister.

"What little creep?" Jordan asked.

"Oh that's just Kreacher.  He never does anything anybody tells him to.  He only listened to Sirius, but he would mutter awful things under his breath when he thought no one could hear him," Harry explained.

"Well maybe if we were a little nicer to him he wouldn't be so bad," Hermione retorted.

"Oh come off it Hermione.  The little git is rotten to the core and nothing is going to change that," Ron said earning himself a glare from Hermione, which quickly shut him up.

After breakfast was finished and they helped Mrs. Weasley wash the dishes Jordan, Dawn, Hermione, and Aidan rechecked their luggage.  Hermione had flooed to her parents' house before breakfast and acquired the rest of her things and her cat, Crookshanks.  He seemed to enjoy flooing as much as Jordan did because Hermione had emerged from the fireplace with a good many scratches.  

"How's the arm?" Aidan asked Jordan.

She stretched her left arm out and wiggled the fingers on her left hand.

"Good as new," she replied.

Harry picked up a case by Jordan's trunk and looked at curiously.  

"Is this a broom case?" he asked her.

"Yep.  My Firebolt.  Aidan and I were chasers on our school team," she said opening it and showing him a broom identical to his own, but with a gold engraving of her name.

"Cool.  You should try out for the team," Harry said.

"Well why do you think we brought our brooms with us?" Aidan asked wryly.

"Heard you were a pretty good seeker.  Care to show us your skills when we get to Hogwarts?" Jordan said.

Harry liked the sound of that.  Quidditch was his absolute favorite sport in the entire world.  Now that Umbridge was gone he should be back on the team.  He only hoped Ginny wouldn't mind relinquishing her position as seeker.

"And we gotta teach Dawn how to fly," Aidan pointed out.

Harry liked that idea even better.  Maybe he would even get to bring her up on his broom with him.  

"Yeah well after today we're gonna be stuck in classes.  You guys get to have all the fun," Dawn pouted.

"Don't be so bummed.  The food is good," Ron said as reassurance.

"You guys all ready?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah.  Are you coming with?" Dawn asked.

"I won't be by until later.  Giles and I have to go to LA and round up the slayers that will be training at Hogwarts and Angel and the gang wanted to see it.  Willow and Xander are going with you," she replied.

"Ooh I almost forgot.  I bought this in London," Jordan said as she opened her trunk. "I figure we can play it when the weather gets crappy.  I suck at chess.  So I bought something I can beat Aidan at."

Dawn's and Buffy's jaws dropped when she showed them what she bought.

"_Dungeons and Dragons?!_   You bought Dungeons and Dragons?" Buffy said.

"Yeah we played it the night before we fought at the hellmouth.  I kicked ass at this game and it was my first time playing!" she said excitedly.

"What makes you think you can beat me?  How do you know I won't kick your ass after I learn how to play?" Aidan asked.

"Wanna bet?" she asked.

"Ten galleons," he said.

"Done," she replied and they shook hands. 

Everyone else stared at them in confusion.

Buffy raised her hand.  "I think I speak for everyone here when I say, huh?" 

***********************************************************************************************

            "Wow look at this place!  How do you like it here Will?" Dawn said to her owl who hooted in reply when they were all gathered in Dumbledore's office after a portkey trip there. 

            She set her stuff down and walked around the large room while examining all the magical objects.  Willow and Xander were equally delighted and fascinated by it.  

            "Not all the teachers have arrived yet and our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is not due to arrive until this Friday.  That position is rather hard to fill," he told them.  

"Your lessons will not begin until tomorrow.  You have today free to tour through Hogwarts and the grounds.  I am sure these four students will be happy to give you a tour.  I daresay Mr. Potter and his friends know the castle and some of its secrets quite well," he winked at Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny.

"Oh good.  Gives me valuable dreading time before I fail miserably at Transfiguration," Jordan said in a resigned voice.

"Come on Jordan.  I'll pull you through it.  I always do," Aidan said.

"Hermione can help you.  She's good at every type of magic, well, except Divination.  She walked out on that class," Ron said.

Hermione crossed her arms and scowled.

"I left that class because it was a load of rubbish!" she retorted.

"What's this thing?" Dawn interrupted as she held up an old patched, brown hat.  

"That's the Sorting Hat," Harry answered.

"Sorting Hat?  What does it sort?" she inquired.

"You my dear," came a voice from the hat causing Dawn to let out an involuntary shriek and drop it.

"Well that's not very polite," it said.

"Do not be alarmed Miss Summers.  It was made by the founder of Gryffindor House and we use it to see which house a student is best suited for," Dumbledore assured her as he picked up the hat and dusted it off.

"Oh.  How does it.... erm.... sort us?" she asked hesitantly.

"You just put it on your head and it'll tell you where you belong.  It's quite simple," Ginny said.

"That's cool.  We don't have a hat.  They sent us these survey questions before we started first year at Cristallon to see which group we belonged in.  Kinda boring," Aidan said.

"A talking hat.  This world has everything.  Next thing you know we'll be seeing leprechauns," Xander quipped then noticing the expressions on the faces of the witches and wizards he added,  "There's leprechauns too isn't there?"

They nodded and Willow laughed.

"Wait till Buffy hears that," she said.

"These houses; what are they and umm what are the qualifications?" Jordan asked.

"Well there's Gryffindor, which we are in.  They like the brave and noble people," Ron said ignoring Ginny's snort when he said noble.  "There's Ravenclaw, they like the smart people.  Don't know why Hermione isn't in that one," he shot an apologetic look to her when he said that, but it didn't seem to phase her.  "Hufflepuff has the people who are the hard workers and the worst house is Slytherin.  That house turned out the most Death Eaters of any house and it only takes purebloods or just those born to a witch and wizard, so Dawn shouldn't have to worry about being sorted into there."

"Good to know," Dawn replied.

Aidan took this into consideration.  The Firewell family consisted of a long, virtually unbroken line of witches and wizards dating back hundreds and hundreds of years.  His mother's side, however, was comprised of a mixture of Muggle and wizard ancestry.  So he and Jordan were technically not "purebloods".  He thought it a little unfair of Ron to describe Slytherin as the worst house because most of the Death Eaters came from it.  It didn't mean all the members were evil or wanted anything to do with the dark arts.  But then again he might be wrong.  

"Who would like to be sorted first?" Dumbledore asked.

"I will," Jordan answered.

"Ah Miss Firewell, just sit here if you please," Dumbledore instructed.

She sat on a small wooden stool that seemed to appear (and probably did) out of nowhere.  Dumbledore placed the hat lightly upon her head.  Everyone watched expectantly.

"Ahhhhh a slayer!  Never had one of those before.  This spices things up a little.  Let me see, you are definitely brave no doubt about that.  Not very power-hungry.  I assume being a slayer _and_ a witch suits you just fine.  You are quite a rarity.  Intelligent too; in your own peculiar way.  You think often of things that others wouldn't," it said in her ear.

Oh good God, will you just sort me already?  I don't need my whole life story!  And what the hell does that last remark mean?  She sighed impatiently.  

"Yes, you are most definitely impatient at times, but I don't detect much darkness in you.  I say you should be in GRYFFINDOR!" it said aloud for all to hear.

Everyone clapped, but not as hard as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.  Jordan took the hat off and handed it to Dumbledore.  

Aidan went up next and Dumbledore set the hat upon his head.

"Hmmmmm.  You would do well in either of the four houses.  You are fiercely loyal and protective and possess a great deal of courage.  Your mind is most definitely one of high intelligence.  You are almost as hard to place as Potter was," it whispered.

"Let me give you a hand.  Stick me with my sister," he asked quietly.

"Ahhh she is the one who merits your fierce loyalty and protection.  Quite a strong bond you two have.  Your love for your twin outshines even your courage.  Very well, I can see separating the two of you might not be the wisest course of action so you shall be in GRYFFINDOR!" it roared.

He breathed a sigh of relief.  Separating the two of them would most definitely not be the wisest course of action.  It had been bad enough for four months.  He handed the hat back to Dumbledore and gave Dawn an encouraging thumbs up.  She smiled back and took a deep breath.  She hoped to get into Gryffindor because every other student here was in it.  That included Harry.  Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad though.  After all she did plan on going into the watcher field whenever she finished school.

Harry squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and gave her a dashing smile that made her knees weak.  _Stupid sodding hormones.  _Spending a lot of time with Spike caused her to adopt a little of his lingo.

"Go on Dawnie," Willow said patting her on the back.  

Harry kept his fingers crossed as Dawn had the hat placed on her head.  Considering what he had heard and seen from yesterday with the demons she was prime Gryffindor material.  

"Oh my, this is a strange one.  I see memories of a past, but yet there is no substance to the memories.  How strange," it said in a thoughtful voice.

Dawn squeezed her eyes shut.   Her thoughts strayed to the reasons pertaining to her memories having no substance.  The Sorting Hat heard her thoughts and gave a gasp of surprise.

"That's where it's been all these years.  The key!  That is great power you possess, well actually, great power that you are my dear.  You could be very great indeed if given the proper training.  The key is an instrument of great and terrible power.  But yet you are still human.  I see a battle of identity here.  Not only with your being the key, but being the sister of the Slayer.  You want to break free from that image and become your own person.  I can understand that.  I think the best place for you would be SLYTHERIN!" 

Harry felt something icy slide into his stomach.  _Slytherin?!  No, she couldn't be.  She's a Muggle-born.  Slytherin doesn't take Muggle-borns.  There has to be some mistake.  _He knew that there was no mistake though.  He had thought the hat had made a mistake by sorting him into Gryffindor when he should have been sorted into Slytherin.  Apparently his wish to not be in Slytherin influenced the hat's choice.  But Dawn in Slytherin?  How could that sweet, beautiful girl belong to the house that turned out the most dark wizards out of all the houses combined?

Hermione started twisting her hands nervously.  Alarm was written all over her face as she watched Dawn remove the hat and walk towards them.  This couldn't be possible.  Dawn couldn't be in Slytherin.  She was Muggle-born.  Or did being the sister of a mystical being like the Slayer create some sort of loophole?      

"Aw man that sucks.  We aren't gonna be roomies anymore.  Oh well, I'm sure we can bunk together during the summer at least," Jordan said cheerfully not fully comprehending the situation.  

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny whipped their heads around to stare at her in disbelief.  That couldn't possibly be the only problem she had with Dawn being in Slytherin.  

Xander and Willow exchanged questioning glances.  They had no idea why the four of them were reacting to the hat's choice like that.

Aidan noticed the looks on his new friends' faces.  "What?"

"That's impossible.  Dawn can't be in Slytherin.  The Sorting Hat made a mistake," Harry said in a falsely confident voice.

"Oh the Muggle-born thing.  Well there's a first for everything isn't there?  Dawn's just a fluke," Jordan replied as if that explained everything.

"Yeah.  I was always fluke girl.  Although, I don't think I'll like being in a house full of dark witches and wizards to be," Dawn said.

"I'm sure they're not all taking a walk on the dark, scary, veiny side," Xander said.

"Professor are you sure the hat didn't make a mistake?" Ginny asked.

Dumbledore had been observing them all keenly and he didn't respond to Ginny's question right away.

"In all my years at Hogwarts, I have yet to see the wisdom of the Sorting Hat fail.  There is a reason for everything Miss Weasley," he said.

"But...but...she's Muggle-born.  Slytherin doesn't like Muggle-borns," Ron stated.

"I am aware of that Mr. Weasley.  I fear there is nothing I can do.  The Sorting Hat has been around for almost as long as Hogwarts itself.  If the hat says Miss Summers is in Slytherin, then she is in Slytherin," he said.

_Why are they so bothered by this?  It's not like she's going to become evil and brand herself with the dark mark, _Aidan thought to himself.  

"Well could she still stay with us for the summer?  I mean, not sleep alone in the Slytherin rooms.  It would get kinda lonely," Jordan said to Dumbledore.

"Yes of course," Dumbledore answered.  "Now come, I am sure you are eager to see the rest of the castle."

They slowly ambled out of the office and down the stone stairwell.  The Sorting Hat's last choice had sucked most of the cheerfulness out of the group.  Harry couldn't shake the sinking feeling he got whenever he thought about Dawn in Slytherin.  How could this be?  Was she adopted?  Was that it?  Was she actually the child of a witch and wizard?  It wouldn't make him feel much better, but at least it would make more sense.  He also couldn't believe how dismissive Jordan and Aidan were of it.  Granted, they hadn't been going to this school for five years and endured the taunts and jeers of the Slytherin students.  They hadn't been to one of Snape's, the head of Slytherin House, potions classes yet.  They didn't understand that their friend was now a part of the very house that was a direct and almost violent rival of their own.  Or maybe they did, but they just didn't care.  But how could they not?  

Dawn glanced at Harry worriedly.  Something was clearly troubling him.  Was it the fact that she was in a house with a very bad reputation?  She wasn't too peachy with the hat's decision either, but she accepted it.  So what if she was now apart of a group full of Death Eater wannabes?  She certainly wouldn't become one of them.  If she had to be an outcast in her own house, then so be it.  She didn't have to be around them all the time.  And Xander was right, not all of them could be Muggle-hating bigots.  There had to be a good egg or two in there.  

"Harry?  Is something wrong?" she asked.

He looked at her for a split-second; his bright green eyes alight with some unnamable emotion, before turning his gaze away.

"Nothing's wrong," he lied.

Dawn wasn't sure he was telling the truth, but she didn't say anything.  

"So, um, where do the owls go?  I let Will fly off.  I hope he doesn't get lost," she said looking up at the clear sky.

"Oh, there's an Owlery all the owls go to eat and rest.  And don't worry, the owls never get lost," he assured her, grateful for the subject change.

"So after we meet the teachers wanna hit the Quidditch field?  This is my last day of freedom and I am in sore need of practice.  After this I shall never see the light of day again," Jordan said.

"Jordan, you will do fine in Transfiguration.  I will pull you through it," Aidan responded in a slightly exasperated tone.

"You can't be that bad," Ron said.

"She's not.  She's just a raving pessimist at times," Aidan said.

"Are you guys trying out for the team?" Ginny asked the three new students.

Dawn vigorously shook her head.  She didn't even know how to fly yet.  There was no way she could play a game while on a broomstick at least thirty feet above the ground.

"Jordan and I are for the chaser positions.  I used to be a seeker, but the Beaters' Bible bit began to really make the game a living hell so I switched.  Turns out I'm better suited for chaser because I get to work with Jordan and, I say this in all humbleness, we kick ass," he said grinning knowingly at his sister.

"Must be a twin thing.  My brothers, Fred and George, were beaters.  They were really good," Ginny said.

"Speaking of your brothers, you guys owe us a story about them," Dawn said to Ginny.

"Oh that's right!  It all started with this witch named Dolores Umbridge and when I say witch I mean it in a bad way...

Fifteen Minutes Later 

            Dawn, Jordan, Aidan, Willow, and Xander were doubled over with laughter as Ginny, her brother, and his friends finished telling the story of Fred and George's triumph over Umbridge.  

            "I have a whole new respect for those guys," Xander said.

            "This Umbridge person sounds even worse than Snyder," Willow remarked.

            "Who's Snyder?" Harry asked.

            "He was the principal of Sunnydale High when Will, Buffy, and I were in school.  He was eaten by a giant snake at our graduation," Xander replied happily.

            "Umbridge got caught by centaurs, but they didn't eat her.  They just turned her a little, um, insane," Ron said.

            "Shouldn't we be getting on with the tour?  I mean, we've only made it to the courtyard so far," Jordan said.

            Harry and his friends led them back inside Hogwarts to show them where everything was.  Dawn gawked at the ceiling, which she hadn't noticed until Willow pointed it out.  

            "It looks just like the sky outside!" Dawn squealed.

            Harry momentarily forgot that she was in Slytherin when he saw the excitement she exuded.  He loved just watching her with her head tilted back and moving slowly in a circle as she stared at the ceiling.  After showing the new students the dining hall they showed them where all the classes were.  Along the way they met with Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Sprout.  Jordan was less than happy to find out that the professor of Transfiguration was the head of her new house.  

            "Could be worse.  It could have been Snape," Ron said.

            "No because then he would favor us instead of the bloody Slytherins," Harry replied bitterly and then he quickly covered, "Ummm no offense Dawn."

            "I wonder who's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts," Aidan remarked.

            "Good question.  That position doesn't stay filled for more than a year.  It's cursed," Ron said.

            "It is not Ron.  All those events are merely coincidences," Hermione said tartly.

            "Don't be too sure about that Hermione," Willow said.

            "Well I hope it's someone who knows what they are doing and doesn't rely on books and theories.  If only we could have Professor Lupin back," Ginny said wistfully.

            "Maybe it is him.  Maybe he just wants to surprise us," Ron said hopefully.

            "You think Dumbledore would hire him again after everyone already knows he's a..." Harry trailed off remembering who else was there.

            "He's a what?" Dawn asked.

            "Never mind," Harry said quickly.

            "Come on Harry.  You can tell us, chances are Dawn and her gang have already heard of or faced it," Jordan said encouragingly.

            Harry glanced around furtively trying to find a way out of the conversation.  The first thing that came to his mind was Quidditch. 

            "Hey!  We still have to teach Dawn how to fly.  Let's get our brooms and go to the Quidditch field.  Our stuff is probably already in the Gryffindor Common Room," he started walking in that direction.

            "Hey!  He's dodging the subject!" Dawn said to Hermione, Ginny, and Ron as they followed Harry.

            "Well it's a touchy subject," Hermione replied.

            "But-" Jordan began.

            Aidan cut her off.  "Just let it go Jordan.  We'll probably find out later."  

            Dawn had already let the issue drop because she was thinking about all the different ways her brains could splatter if she fell off a broom while in air.  Not a pretty picture.

            "I hope your brooms come with seatbelts," she muttered.

***********************************************************************************************

I hope you don't mind terribly that I put Dawn in Slytherin.  I thought it would add an interesting twist.  It's not that I think she's evil; I think she rocks.  Matthew helped me decide so thanks a bunch to you dude.  I have to be honest, if I were to ever go to Hogwarts _I_ would be put in Slytherin for sure.  Anyway, next chapter some rookie slayers and Buffy and the Angel Gang visit Hogwarts.  Yay we get to see Lorne!  


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Whew!  I had to completely rewrite this chapter when my father decided to reboot the computer and it erased all the files.  But here it is and I'm sorry for the delay.  Thanks a bunch to my reviewers and especially Matthew (real funny review haha).  ****

**ScruffyWes**, **Sirob**, and **Draco-FutureBF** I will put your fears to rest.  Dawn shall not be paired with Draco, I have him staked for Jordan.  But they won't even get together until the end.  Harry will not have to worry about Dawn being taking by Draco.  Mmmm Draco.  Sorry got a little sidetracked there.  LOL.  

I put Dawn in Slytherin because she _is_ cunning and resourceful.  Like **Sirob **(and you hit it right dead center with your review as to why I thought she belonged in Slytherin.  Kudos to you!) said, she grew up at the Hellmouth, which you sort of have to be both in order to survive.  Look at the stealing she did too.  I think Slytherin is a cool house and I don't think being evil is a requirement.  It just happens to have traits that evil people have.  That was why I didn't put her in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw **SPASH Panther**.  Also, I wanted to make Harry and Ron gain a bit more insight into what makes a Slytherin which you pointed out **A Watcher.  **And it will be interesting to see how Draco and the other Slytherins react to her being in Slytherin.  So I do have storylines and it goes with the plot **dancetdplc** although not exactly a specific plotline.

**becks89: **Well not exactly Romeo and Juliet, but a little like it.  I did put her in Slytherin to serve as a barrier to a relationship between her and Harry.  I'm not sure if ten galleons is a lot.  I remember Percy bet on it with his g/f in the third book, which I actually just read again so that's why I remember it.  Jordan and Aidan do come from a wealthy family though.

**polgara-5**: Hehe.*laughs evilly* You just wait and see. 

**Destiny's Dragon**: Well it's okay to be evil sometimes.  Something has to balance out the good.  But yeah, I would definitely be in Slytherin and I would be proud of it.

**Tiger Tiger2**: Yes, we may all loathe her with a burning passion. LOL.

Enjoy!

       ***********************************************************************************************

            Dawn finally opened her eyes and almost squealed when she noticed that she was quite high up in the air.  For a moment the sickening feeling of doom had crept into her stomach.  Her fears of heights were left over from when she had been kidnapped by Glory and been tied up on a rickety tower built by crazy people.  Her sister later jumped off that same tower to close the dimensional portal that had been opened thanks to her blood.  Over two years had passed since that terrible incident, but she still harbored a little guilt from it.  It should have been her jumping off that tower.  

            "Wow," she breathed.

            She had her arms wrapped tightly (almost too tightly) around Harry.  He had been the one to take her up on his Firebolt and he was glad he did.  Jordan was going to take her up, but she miraculously changed her mind and suggested that Harry do it.  _Must remember to thank her for that later._

            "This-this is amazing," she said in awe.

            "Yeah.  Makes you glad that some stereotypes about our kind our true," he replied.

            "Well this is okay, just so we don't-AAAAAAH!" Harry had made the broom do a bit of a dive and he was instantly sorry for it.  Dawn squeezed him so hard he swore a couple of ribs cracked.

            "Don't do that again!" she screamed when he slowed.

            "Sorry, I couldn't resist though," he said playfully.

            "You know if I wasn't so terrified about falling off right now, I'd let go and hit you," she said dangerously.

            Harry chuckled even though he didn't doubt that she would have hit him.  He wished he could turn around and see her beautiful face.  She probably looked especially pretty now with her cheeks flushed from the dive and her blue eyes alight with excitement and a little bit of fear.  He noticed that two people were approaching the Quidditch Pitch.  One was a very large man with a messy black beard and black hair.  That was Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts.  The petite blonde beside him he recognized as Buffy.  Hagrid waved to him enthusiastically.

            "Alrigh' there Harry?!  Yer friend like it up there?" he asked loudly.

            "Not really!" Dawn replied for him.

            "Dawn?!" Buffy exclaimed.

            "It's okay Buffy.  Just a flying lesson," Jordan told her.

            "Who's your friend Buff?" Xander asked apprehensively as he looked the large man up and down.

            "Rubeus Hagrid.  Yeh must be one Miss Summers' friends.  Professor Dumbledore told me to take her here to the Quidditch Pitch.  Said yeh might be down here," he extended his hand to shake Xander's.

            "Hagrid you don't need to call me Miss Summers.  Makes me feel old.  Just Buffy," Buffy told him.

            Hermione, Ron and Ginny greeted him with hugs.  Harry landed (much to Dawn's relief) and came over to give the man a hug of his own.

            "So is it true?  Are yeh a slayer now Hermione?" Hagrid asked.

            "Yes," she replied.

            "Merlin!  Our little Hermione is a slayer.  Never woulda saw that one comin.  Now yeh can teach that bloody Malfoy a thing or two for callin yeh all them nasty names," he said wryly.

            "Are you suggesting I use my powers for petty revenge Hagrid?" Hermione asked seeming appalled with the idea.

            "No!  Course not!" he said.

            "That'd be wicked," Ron said thoughtfully.

            "Hagrid, these are Xander Harris, Willow Rosenburg, Jordan and Aidan Firewell, and my sister Dawn.  She'll be attending this school now," Buffy said as she introduced her friends.

            "New students!  Thas great!  I teach Care of Magical Creatures.  Got some good lessons in store fer yeh," he said.

            Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry looked at each other nervously.  Hagrid had a particular fondness for dangerous (what he would call interesting) creatures.  His first lesson in their third year was with a hippogriff named Buckbeak.  Malfoy ended up insulting it, which Hagrid said specifically not to do, and got mauled by it.  Not a good way to start out.

            "Cool.  I always loved learning about animals," Dawn said.

            "These aren't always the cute and cuddly kind Dawn," Jordan told her remembering a lesson at her own school with a flobberworm.  She really hated worms.

            "Where's everybody else Buffy?  I thought Faith and some other slayers were coming," Willow asked.

            "They're inside.  That's what I came here for.  I need you and Xander, and Jordan and Hermione to come with me," Buffy replied.

            "What about me?" Dawn asked not wanting to be left out of the loop.

            "We're just gonna be going over training schedules Dawnie.  It'd be more fun for you to stay with Harry.  Hagrid is gonna stay with you guys," Buffy explained.

            "Oh, ok," she said in a disappointed tone.

            "Come on guys," Buffy beckoned as she started walking back to the castle.  Willow, Xander, Jordan, and Hermione followed.

            "Don't worry Dawn.  Hermione and I will give you all the boring details later," Jordan said before turning around and jogging to catch up.

            They went straight to Dumbledore's office and found a large group of people waiting for them.  Giles and Wesley were there as was Faith and many slayers that had fought at the Hellmouth.  Also there were Angel, and two others Jordan vaguely remembered seeing at the Hyperion and...

            "Um Buffy?  Is it just me or is there a green guy with horns dressed in a blue suit in here?" Jordan asked.

            "Oh Lorne?  He works with Angel.  He's harmless," she assured the young slayer.

            The guy/demon was currently talking on a cellular phone, which made Jordan and Hermione wonder how he could work it.  Wizarding areas and schools had the same affect on Muggle electronics as hellmouths did on wizard magic.  _Dumbledore must've charmed it for him,_ Jordan thought.

            "Ah Miss Summers, are you ready to commence your meeting?" Dumbledore asked.

            "I guess so," she replied.

            "How are the wounded doing?" Jordan asked.

            "Robin is still in the hospital.  Doesn't heal as fast as the slayers, but he's gonna be okay.  We have some of the girls who were at the hospital here and some others are back in LA," Faith answered.

            "Buffy I suggest we decide how to act upon locating as many slayers as possible.  We need as much firepower as we can get in this upcoming conflict," Giles said.

            "Yeah, I figured Will could do her Wiccan mojo to do that," Buffy replied.

            "Then we gotta figure out what to do when we find them.  I mean, there's gotta be hundreds of them out there," Faith said.

            "There are many surviving members of the Watcher's Council that were stationed all over the world.  We have been working to contact them all.  So far the ones we contacted have agreed to cooperate and help in any way," Wesley said.

            "Aw thanks honey I really appreciate that," Lorne spoke into his phone.

            "Dude, hang up the phone.  This is important," Gunn told him.

            "I'll get back to you," he reluctantly hung up.

            "Thank you for joining us Lorne," Wesley said in an exasperated voice.

            "Hey I was just doing my duty," he replied defensively.  

His red eyes lingered on Jordan and Hermione who were both staring at him with half-amused half-bewildered expressions.  

            "They're cute.  Where did you get them?" he said.

            "Lorne they're slayers.  Remember how we explained how one of Buffy's potentials was a witch from this world and there was another like her?" Fred told him.

            "Neat.  Guess you two are even more special than the rest of them.  Would you mind singing for me?" he asked sweetly.

            "What for?" Jordan asked.

            "He's an Empath.  He can read people's souls when they sing.  But now isn't the time Lorne," Angel answered and gave Lorne a look, which made the green demon sigh and walk around the room.

            "This is some pad you got here.  So where do you keep the liquor?" he said as he examined the room.

            Jordan snorted.  She was definitely starting to like this guy/demon/whatever.  It brought back the memory of meeting another friendly demon.  She and a couple potentials (some of which were in the room now) had gone with Buffy and Spike to a demon bar during a training session.  They had met with Clem at the bar and he did this freaky thing with his face which scared the shit out of her and the rest of the girls.  Thinking back on it she found it kind of funny now.  This Lorne seemed as benevolent as Clem.  It was a comforting thought that there were demons out there who didn't have it in for humanity.

            "Mr. Lorne, I'd be happy to provide you with whatever sufficient refreshment you require after we are finished our business here," Dumbledore said.

            "As we were saying, now that me and mine are working at Wolfram and Hart, we can use their resources to find and train slayers," Angel told them.

            "Oh great idea Dead Boy.  Use the company of uberevil and death to find slayers," Xander sneered sarcastically.

            "Xander!" Buffy and Willow scolded.

            "I'm just saying that it's a bit too risky to use Wolfram and Hart in this.  I mean, they are evil," he said.

            "Well now that Angel is the CEO, it should be less evil.  We're going to work hard to change it from the inside," Fred said.

            Xander didn't reply but just ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration.  He clearly was not going to support the idea of using the resources of Wolfram and Hart in the current situation.

            "Isn't there a way you could put up some map of the world and have little lights representing slayers?  It could narrow it down so you guys don't go looking in places that don't have slayers in them," Jordan suggested.

            "An excellent idea Miss Firewell," Dumbledore replied.

            Jordan beamed.  "Took a leaf out of my brother's book.  Sounded like something he would come up with."

            "What are you going to do when you find them?  It's not like all these girls won't have homes and families and lives," Gunn said.

            "Oh oh!  Matrix tactic!  We can offer them the blue pill or the red pill!" Xander exclaimed.

            Hermione stared at him in utter confusion and horror at the thought of giving them pills.  "Excuse me?"

            "You're starting to sound like Andrew," Buffy muttered.  "But I get what you're saying and I think we can do that."

            "Whoa whoa!  What the hell does 'the Matrix tactic' mean?  And tell me why you want to give them pills," Jordan said.

            "He doesn't really mean to give them actual pills honey.  The Matrix was a movie made in 1999; big box office blockbuster.  The sequel isn't that great so I wouldn't recommend seeing it.  Anyway, what Cyclops there means is that we can tell these girls the deal and if they don't like it they can go back to their normal lives and forget about all of it.  If they want to sign on, well we'll bring them in or whatever you guys plan to do," Lorne explained.

            "Oh.  Would it have killed you to use those terms instead Xander?" Jordan said.

            "Sorry," Xander said.

            "Okay, so we got that one obstacle partly overcome.  I figured we could try and construct various bases and training facilities all over the world.  Especially around hellmouths.  We should also get to recruiting watchers," Buffy said.

            "I could suggest it to students at the start of term feast.  I think there are some rather good candidates amongst our older students," Dumbledore offered.

            "That'd be great.  Thanks," Buffy said.

            "B, what about the training issue?  How are we goin' about that?" Faith asked.

            "Well, we got two months before school starts back up again.  We'll focus mainly on getting Hermione up to speed during that time.  And then during the year I figure we can do the training with Jordan and Hermione like two or three days a week and on Saturdays in the mornings since they have school here.  As for the other girls training here we can set up patrol schedules and if Dumbledore allows it, they can help train students in basic defense tactics," Buffy looked at Dumbledore hopefully.

            "I think that would be a fine idea Miss Summers," he replied.

            Jordan then raised her hand and spoke.  "Um Buffy?  Faith?  Not to rain on your parade, but I did have hopes of joining the Quidditch team.  That might conflict with slayer training.  I don't mean to sound selfish, but I did sorta want to get back to a sort of normal life seeing as how it just might be shorter than I originally planned."

            Buffy sighed.  It would be unfair to take Quidditch away from the girl, but this was important.  More important than any game.  But then again having as normal a life as possible would probably be the best course of action.  She didn't want to come off as the stern and unyielding commander.  She knew Faith would definitely let Jordan do Quidditch.  It wouldn't hurt to be more like Faith in some aspects she grudgingly admitted to herself.  

            "I guess we could work around that," she finally said which brought a relieved smile to Jordan's face.

            "What's Quidditch?" Lorne asked intrigued by the word.

            "It's a popular Wizarding game.  Both of my best friends are on the house team," Hermione answered.

            "A game?  What do you do in this game?" Gunn asked also intrigued.

            Wesley sighed in frustration.  "Gunn we are not here to discuss Quidditch.  We are here to discuss our plans for the-" 

            "Come on Wes, I think we got everything covered for now.  I wanna see this game," Gunn replied.

            "Yeah, and I need a drink," Lorne chimed.

            "Are we done?" Jordan asked hopefully.

            Buffy rolled her eyes.  "Yeah I guess."

***********************************************************************************************

            Dawn fiddled with the rock cake that Hagrid had given her as she and Aidan listened with rapt attention at the story Harry, Ron, and Ginny were telling about the Death Eater attack when they went to the Quidditch World Cup.  She was astounded at all the adventures, well more like misadventures, these people had gone through.  It certainly gave her life a run for its money.  She couldn't wait to tell them some of her stories.

            "And then he shot the dark mark right up into the sky!  And all the Death Eaters got scared and ran off," Ron recalled with more excitement than he felt at the time.

            "The dark mark?" she asked.

            "It's something all Death Eaters have tattooed on their arms so Voldemort can call them whenever he needs them," Harry explained.

            "Oh.  Were you guys scared?" she asked.

            "Bloody terrified!  You know what Death Eaters will do to you if they catch you?" Ron exclaimed.

            "Do I wanna know?" Dawn said apprehensively.

            "No yeh don't.  Them Death Eaters are brutal.  Yeh don't need teh be hearin awful things like that," Hagrid said.

            "It's okay Hagrid.  I've seen a lot of brutal things living at the Hellmouth, and I've experienced some of them," Dawn said.

            "Tell us some of your stories," Aidan requested.

            "Well, there are a lot of them.  I guess I could start with when I first got kidnapped and I found out about the whole slayer deal," she said.

            "First got kidnapped?" Harry arched an eyebrow and Dawn managed to get a glimpse of that lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

            "Um yeah.  I have this habit of getting kidnapped by my sister's enemies.  She always rescued me though," Dawn said.

            "Oh, must be risky being the sister of the Slayer," Ron said.

            "Yeah.  Anyway, it was when Spike first came to town.  You guys ever heard of William the Bloody?" she asked.

            "I read about him in History of Magic.  I can't believe I actually remember that, but he was part of a group of four vampires wasn't he?  The Scourge of Europe?" Harry said.

            "Yeah that would be him.  Well he and his girlfriend Drusilla came to town looking to kill Buffy cuz she's the Slayer, but they didn't plan on having her family and friends helping her.  My mom hit him with an axe when he first attacked at Buffy's Parent-Teacher Night.  I was ten when he kidnapped me and I remember I was at Willow's house cuz she was babysitting me.  I, being the stupid child that I was, wandered outside while Willow went to get more snacks.  I had heard someone whispering my name out there.  As soon as I step onto the porch I get scooped up by one of Spike's minions."

            Dawn paused as she let the memory of that first terrifying event fill her mind.  Funny how her first meeting with Spike should be so terrifying, but yet she came to love him as a brother.

            "I couldn't even scream because he had his hand over my mouth.  I tried biting him, but I couldn't open my mouth.  So I was stuck with trying to struggle out of his grasp, which was pretty pointless considering I was nothing but a ten-year-old girl and he was a vampire.  When I was put down, I saw that I was in Buffy's highschool.  There was this woman there and she had all these dolls.  She kept asking me if I wanted to play with Miss Edith before I died.  And then Spike comes along and he starts talking to the vampire that brought me.  I was officially freaking out.  I was crying and hugging myself and rocking back and forth.  I mean, I had no idea what was going on!  I had no idea what they wanted me for, but I do remember thinking I was going to die.  That's pretty bad for a ten-year-old to think that."

            "Spike came over to talk to me.  He said that as soon as my sister came, everything would be alright.  I didn't know what my sister had to do with anything, but I suddenly wanted her more than anything.  He had to keep telling the woman, Drusilla, not to bite me until later."

            She stopped and looked at everyone.  Their eyes were wide open and they were barely moving.  She had their complete attention.

            "Go on!" Hagrid urged.

            "Well one of the minions grabbed hold of me when Buffy showed.  And that was the first time I ever saw her so angry.  I didn't know why they wanted her there, but at the time I didn't care.  I just wanted her to fix things.  Then, you know, the usual.  Spike threatened me and yadda yadda and Buffy threatened back and yadda and more vamps begin to fill the school.  She fought the vamps and I saw Xander, Giles, and Buffy's then boyfriend Angel come in.  Angel was the one who killed the vampire holding me and he carried me out of there.  After Buffy, Giles, and Xander fought off most of the minions and Spike and Drusilla of course got away, they took me home.  That's when I demanded Buffy explain everything or I would tell Mom.  So she did explain and it all made a sort of weird sense.  I had nightmares for months after that and our mom never found out about the incident until like a year later," she said solemnly.   

            "Wicked," Ron breathed.

            "Wow," Ginny said.

            "Man all your lives are so interesting.  Mine didn't get interesting until a couple months ago," Aidan said.

            "Well you're in for a treat this year Aidan.  Attending this school with us is guaranteed to make your life interesting, or downright scary," Harry assured him.

            "Plenty more stories where that came from.  I'll trade mine for yours," Dawn said smiling mischeviously at Harry.

            They didn't have time to exchange anymore stories, however, because they were interrupted by knocking at the door.  Hagrid answered and Hermione and Jordan walked in.

            "Hey guys.  Meeting's all done.  Have fun without us?" Jordan asked cheerfully helping herself to a rock cake.

            "Yeah.  Dawn just finished telling us about the first time she got kidnapped," Aidan replied.

            "The _first_ time?" Hermione asked in horror.

            Jordan smiled and then her smile disappeared as she spit out the rock cake.  Luckily Hagrid didn't notice because he had gone out into the garden.

            "Why didn't anyone warn me?" she said wiping her mouth.

            The rest of the teens just laughed to which Jordan gave them the famous One-Finger Salute.  Ron and Ginny had no idea what it meant.  Hermione wouldn't explain it and she instantly chastised Jordan for doing it.

            "Okay if you are all finished acting like _children_.  There are some guests who would like to see you demonstrate Quidditch," Hermione said.

            They exited Hagrid's cabin and walked back to the Quidditch Pitch.  A group of people were gathered there talking.  Harry stopped in his tracks and grabbed Dawn by the arm.  

            "Is there a green guy talking on a cell phone down there?"        

***********************************************************************************************

A/N: I know the whole thing Spike did with Dawn was dumb of him, but you got to remember, he had never fought a slayer with friends and family before.  He learned from his mistake of course.  Until next time!  R&R!  


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Real sorry this took so long.  Seriously if anyone wants a ten-year-old drama queen she's all yours (of course my dad might object but once he figures that it means one less kid to feed I think he'll come around).  It would definitely increase the rate of updates.  Thanks to all my reviewers and I hope you all were patient.  And thanks a bunch to Matthew (however you shouldn't complain cuz you get exclusive sneak peaks) for his support and I'm sorry I took so long again.  I'll try to update quicker.

**matt: **Yeah Lorne definitely is one to draw attention.  I don't think Harry minded too much either.  Glad you liked the story, I thought it was cute.

**Tiger Tiger2**: Hey I loved Spike from the start even back when he was kind of an idiot.  But honestly, can you blame the fangirls?

**Divia-Black: **Wow I think that was the longest review I ever got.  Snow days rock don't they?  I'm currently enjoying one, or the last fifteen minutes of one.  I can confirm that I'm putting Willow with Tonks.  So many people want that and I think they make a cute couple.  Real glad you agree on the Dawn in Slytherin bit and enjoyed the Dawn being kidnapped by Spike story.  I felt that we needed more onto what went on in those past seasons of Buffy with Dawn.  I have two people lined up for the DADA job and I still can't decide who to use.  Input from readers on others is welcome.  I'm working on the Draco reformed bit, luckily in the beginning he is still a "rotten git", so it postpones that.  Glad you liked the OB comment and damn I am so jealous!  You saw it five times!  Man that would get me really high.  As for Lorne being a regular, I will try and keep him as regular as I can.  

**becks89: **I'm still working on how Dawn will break it to them that she is the Key.  I'm gonna keep that on need-to-know basis.  

**Ragnhild: **I'm well aware that electrical devices don't work at Hogwarts as I did write that in the chapter.  But in this fic, and others I believe, they can be charmed to run on magic instead of electricity.  Thanks for pointing it out though.

**Kristy Marie: **I kind of like it better when Angel and Xander are arguing and all snippy with each other.  It's funnier.  

**SPASH Panther: **You bet they're gonna be huge Quidditch fans.

**dancetdplc:** I think I will have the whole Dawn and Buffy drifting apart since Buffy has to focus on training all these new slayers and the coming battle with Voldemort.  I'm glad to hear I'm avoiding clichés.  I didn't even know I was so thanks for pointing that out.

**wyredsisters: **Now that is a bloody brilliant idea!  Thanks for it and I'll give you recognition when I use it.  Damn why didn't I think of it.  It's too good to pass up.  

**A Watcher:** True she wasn't real yet.  So Spike really wasn't that stupid.  Karaoke probably won't show up until first Quidditch game or Halloween.

Thanks a bunch also to **Gabby**, **Silver Warrior**, **Destiny's Dragon**, **ScruffyWes**, and **ruth 4 kai**.

A lot have been asking about Spike to which I will leave a cryptic hint (that's sarcasm by the way).  _19 days later......._

**********************************************************************************************          "So how are we going to do this?" Jordan asked Ginny and Aidan.  Harry and Ron had gone to get the Quidditch chest.  

            "Well, we obviously can't have a real game.  There isn't enough of us," Ginny said.

            "Well we sorta can.  Jordan and I can be a team.  You, Harry, and Ron can be a team.  And we'll just throw quaffles around and not have bludgers or a snitch.  Everyone will act as keeper and chaser.  They can come to see a real game when school starts.  This will just be a preview," Aidan proposed.

            "So how does this game work anyway?" Gunn asked the three.

            "Well, there are seven people on each team; three chasers, two beaters, one keeper, and one seeker.  The chasers throw the quaffle into the goal posts to score.  The keeper has to defend their team's goalposts from the opposing team's chasers.  The beaters go around hitting bludgers with their bats trying to distract or unseat the members of the other team.  They also try to keep their own team members from getting hit by the bludgers.  The seeker has the hardest job.  They have to catch the golden snitch, and that sucker is really tiny and really fast.  Once the seeker catches the snitch their team is awarded 150 points and the game is over.  That's why games tend to last a long time; it's not over until the snitch is caught," Jordan explained.

            "You do all this while flying around on broomsticks?" Lorne asked skeptically.

            The three teens nodded their heads.

            "Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Fred asked.

            "Well, a little dangerous.  If you're a good flier and have good reflexes you should be fine.  No one at Hogwarts has ever died playing Quidditch," Ginny replied.

            "We've got them," Harry said as he and Ron came onto the field with a large chest.

            "Angel is going to miss this," Fred remarked.

            Dawn stood with her sister, Hermione, Faith, Giles, Wesley, Willow, and Xander.  She had heard Jordan and Aidan talk about Quidditch so much and saw the excitement in Harry's emerald eyes whenever the game was mentioned so she was eager to see it.  She saw the group of slayers that were training at Hogwarts and they were all huddled together in their own tight-nit group.    

            "Mind you they won't do an actual game of Quidditch.  They don't have enough players," Hermione told her.

            "I know, but it'll still be cool," she replied.

            "Are you going to try out for the Quidditch team Dawn?" Buffy asked.

            Dawn thought about that a while before answering.  "I don't think so.  I was terrified flying up there with Harry even though it was still fun.  I don't think I'm cut out for flying.  I think I'll just do my part by being a moral supporter." 

            "You're in Slytherin though.  Won't you be cheering your team on?" Hermione pointed out.

            "Depends.  If the Slytherins are as you say they are I think I'll be joining you in the stadium to cheer the Gryffindors on," Dawn said.

            Hermione didn't think that was a wise choice.  The Slytherins were pretty vicious when it came to Quidditch and she didn't think they would just let Dawn, who was Muggle-born and already going to be an outcast for sure, support the Gryffindors.  They would make her pay dearly if she did.  But then again the girl grew up on a hellmouth and Hermione was sure she was more than capable of handling herself.  She proved that when the demons attacked at that restaurant yesterday.

            The five Quidditch players were currently in a huddle discussing how they were going to play.

            "Three against two?" Ron looked at Harry and Ginny.

            "Yeah, hardly seems fair for you guys," Harry said.

            "Actually, I think you'll find that it's more unfair for you," Jordan replied wryly.

            "Gee Jordan, you're so modest," Aidan said sarcastically.

            Ginny laughed and Ron shot her an annoyed look.  He didn't know how much skill these Americans had at the game, but from the way they talked they were obviously very good at what they did.  It was a little contradictive to what he had normally believed about Americans and Quidditch.  The general belief was that Yanks were mostly hopeless at the game of Quidditch and didn't play it that much.  _This should be interesting._

            "Alright, so it's me and Aidan against Ron, Harry, and Ginny.  You guys got that?" Jordan announced to the small group of spectators.

            "Twenty bucks on the Brits," Gunn said to Lorne.

            "Alright, I'll take that bet.  If the twins win you pay me twenty bucks and buy me a drink," he replied.

            Gunn rolled his eyes, but he shook Lorne's hand anyway.          

            "Deal."

            "Jordan, remember, no use of slayer powers allowed.  Now that would be unfair," Aidan said before mounting his broom.

            "Hey it's three against two.  I can act as two people with my extra strength," she replied.  "Oh alright, I won't use it," she muttered as he gave her a look that he inherited from their mother.

            Harry could feel all his problems retreat into the farthest corners of his mind as he soared into the air.  This was where he belonged.  At Hogwarts, on his broomstick, fifty feet in the air.  If only he could go through life with the constant sensation of flying.  He watched Ginny and Ron rise to hover a bit below him and he saw Aidan and Jordan positioned across from him.  Hermione threw the red quaffle up and all five players made a dive for it.  Harry caught it first, but he saw that Jordan had come real close.  

            "Last one to make twenty goals wins!" she yelled before pulling away to intercept his toss to Ginny. 

The group below watched with many "oooohs!" and "aaaahs!" as the red ball went back in forth between the players.  Dawn noticed that this was sort of like basketball, only way more interesting.  Her eyes stayed on Harry most of the time, but she did let them linger reluctantly onto the others.  All of them were able fliers from what she could tell.  Of course she couldn't really judge who was good and who wasn't.  Harry seemed to be the best (although she was a bit biased in that area) and she was completely speechless at all the dives and twirls he did.  Dawn knew for a fact now that she was definitely not cut out for Quidditch.  Just watching them perform those risky moves made her stomach do acrobatics.

            "Imagine what the fun we could have demon fighting if we could do that B," Faith remarked.

            "Not really wanting to think about the demon kind right now," Buffy replied, but she had to admit that the benefits of such skill would be great.

            Harry threw the ball through the hoop and paused to regain some of his breath.  For a two-player team these twins sure were becoming quite the challenge.  Harry and his team were only one goal ahead now and he knew it wouldn't be long before one of the twins changed that.  _They would be bloody brilliant on Gryffindor.  _He wondered who the new captain was going to be.  Angelina had been the captain last year, but she graduated along with Katie and Alicia.  That left all three chaser positions open.  Ron had taken the keeper position in place of Oliver and Ginny had taken Harry's own former position of seeker after Umbridge kicked him off the team.  Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper had taken Fred and George's positions as beaters.  _Too bad Jordan isn't trying out for the beater position with that slayer strength of hers.  _

            Jordan aimed for the golden hoop in the middle and threw the quaffle towards it.  Ron came hurtling towards his goal to catch it, but he missed the ball by a few centimeters.  _Not bad.  Not bad at all.  Playing on their team should be fun.  _Hermione wasn't kidding when she said that Harry was a brilliant flier.  He moved with the grace, agility, and speed of a natural.  She couldn't wait to see his skills in a real game of Quidditch.  

The score was now tied again with each team having scored nineteen goals.  They were all getting antsy to break this stalemate, but yet they were all having lots of fun playing.  Ron and Ginny had been practicing in the last few weeks and it showed.  Harry noticed that Ginny was a pretty good chaser and made a mental note to ask her if she wouldn't mind trying out for that position.  He only hoped that she hadn't become too attached to the seeker position.  

"Come on kid!  I need you to win me twenty bucks!" Lorne yelled at Aidan as the boy came flying past him.  

"Working on it!" he replied.

Ginny found the goal undefended and threw the quaffle, but out of nowhere Aidan swooped in and caught it before it fell through the hoop.  He grinned at Ginny and winked.  She gave him a perplexed look before she flew off to help Ron and Harry defend their goal.  She hovered in the air a little in front of Jordan.

Jordan saw that save Aidan made.  It was a little surprising, since he wasn't that good at the keeper position.  Now all they needed to do was make one more score and the game would be won.  During the game she had occasionally stole glances at the spectators, especially the group of slayers.  Vi had actually broken from the group and was now standing beside Dawn and Hermione cheering them on.  Which team they were cheering on she had no idea.  Hermione was most likely for Harry's team and she had a sneaking suspicion that Dawn was leaning towards his team as well.  She made a dive to catch the quaffle that Aidan had "dropped".  

"They're still tied," Hermione said.

"This is really cool.  I can't wait to see what a real game looks like," said the girl on the other side of Dawn.

She was about the same height as Dawn, but a little more on the thin side.  Her red hair was cut to hang just above her shoulder.  The girl smiled at Hermione and held out her hand.

"I'm Vi.  We didn't really get a chance for introductions back in LA," she said.

"Oh.  You're a slayer too?" Hermione inquired as she shook the girl's hand.

"Yeah.  Guess we're gonna be meeting more and more girls like us soon," Vi said.

Hermione nodded in agreement and then turned her attention back to the game. 

Jordan caught the quaffle and pulled out of the dive to make her way upward.  Adrenaline was coursing through her system and speeding up her heart rate.  She was by no means exhausted.  Slayer stamina worked wonders.  Being back on a broom and up in the air gave her a rush only beaten by switching into slayer mode and fighting a demon.Her entire body was tingling from the rush and she cherished the feeling.  All worldly problems seemed to dissipate for the time being and all there was her and the ball.  _Note to self: use Quidditch when fighting.  Very similar._  Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all circling around their goal protectively.  She tossed the ball to her brother who barely managed to catch it before one of the others intercepted.  She flew a bit farther ahead and he tossed it back to her.  They continued tossing the ball back and forth to each other making the other three lose their confidence on defending the goal.  When she got control of the ball back she made like she was going to throw it back to Aidan, which caused Ron and Ginny to move to intercept, but Harry stayed where he was.  He had been ready for something like this.  Unfortunately, he wasn't used to being keeper and having to guard something.  The quaffle went sailing past him and into the goal.  He had nearly caught it, but not nearly enough.

"Way to go baby doll!  That's my girl!" Lorne yelled.  

Gunn sighed in disappointment.  Now he had to pay Lorne twenty bucks and buy him a drink.  

***********************************************************************************************

After the game Dumbledore had invited everyone to eat in the dining hall before Angel and his crew had to leave for LA.  Buffy and Faith and the rookie slayers were staying for the summer, but Willow, Xander, and Giles would be focusing their efforts on finding the slayers all over the world.  They decided that they would leave on Saturday.

            "You two are bound to get on the team for sure," Ginny told Aidan and Jordan.

            "Who's the captain?" Aidan asked.

            "Girl named Angelina was last year, but she graduated.  So there is no captain now.  She was a chaser and so were the other two girls that graduated," Ron replied.

            "I think Harry should be captain," Ginny said.

            "But I'm not even on the team anymore Ginny," he said.

            "You'll be rejoining though, won't you?" she asked.

            "Yes.  But I was going to try out like everyone else cuz I really didn't think it would be fair," he said.

            "Come off it Harry.  What that Umbridge bitch did to you was beyond unfair.  I'm sure Dumbledore and McGonagall will let you back onto the team without a second thought.  Besides, you are the one in Gryffindor with the most experience," Ron pointed out.

            "I don't know, but I guess I could talk to McGonagall tomorrow," Harry said thoughtfully.

            "So Hermione, are you starting up training tomorrow?" Jordan asked her fellow slayer.

            "Yes, I just spoke with Buffy and Faith.  Buffy even helped me pick out a training suit in London," she replied.

            Ron's face lit up with a peculiar smile when she said that.  _I wonder if they'll let me watch,_ he thought.  

            After they were all filled to the brim with delicious food Angel, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, and Lorne said their goodbyes.  Jordan was rather disappointed Lorne was leaving.  But he said he would come back to see an actual Quidditch game and possibly to hear them all sing.  She still didn't fully understand the singing bit.  

            Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny led Dawn, Jordan, and Aidan to the Gryffindor Common Room.  Hermione had remembered to ask McGonagall earlier for the password which was, _Phoenix Tears_.  Their stuff was already there; even Dawn's.  Dumbledore had set up private rooms for the rest of the slayers including Buffy and Faith, Giles, Xander, and Willow.  

            "Wow.  It's like a home away from home," Dawn noted then she remembered that she technically didn't even have a home anymore.

            "Well that's the idea," Ginny said.

            "What's the Slytherin Common Room like or are you guys not allowed in there?" Dawn asked.

            "A lot colder.  And not as cheery or as inviting, but what can you expect?" Harry said.

            "What were you guys doing in the Slytherin Common Room?" Aidan asked.

            "Well, it's a long story.  But we had to question Malfoy about certain things concerning attacks on Muggle-borns in the school," Harry answered.

            "This is like the fifth time you guys have said 'Malfoy'.  Who is this guy?" Dawn asked.

            "Is he related to Lucius Malfoy?" Jordan asked.

            "That's his father.  Malfoy's first name is actually Draco, but we aren't really on first-name terms.  And how do you know Lucius Malfoy?" Harry asked.

            "Just about all Wizarding families know the Malfoys.  There aren't too many actual pureblood families left.  And my parents swear they're all Death Eaters, especially Lucius.  They've just never been able to prove it," Aidan said.

            "Your parents would be right.  The whole slimy lot of them are," Ron mumbled.

            Jordan was less interested in the Malfoy character than she was in then the fact that they made a polyjuice potion.  

            "You made a polyjuice potion?  That's a little advanced.  How old were you?" she said intrigued.

            "We were in our second year.  Hermione did most of the work though," Ron said.

            "Damn.  That is so cool.  Potions is my forte," she said, with a note of pride.

            "She makes one hell of a hangover-curing potion," Aidan blurted.

            Everyone looked at him in surprise and Harry and Ron were sporting identical smirks.

            Aidan sheepishly covered, "Or so my dad says."

            "Real convincing there, Aidan.  You have us totally fooled," Dawn teased.

            "So why were you getting pissed?" Ron asked.

            "Huh?  Who said he was getting pissed?" Jordan said.

            "Drunk," Hermione clarified.

            "Oh.  Damn British slang.  You all got a sexy accent, but you still talk funny," Jordan said.

            "I would say the same thing for you Americans," Harry said with a wry grin spreading across his features.

            Jordan nodded as she thought about it from his point of view.  _Who the hell came up with 'dude' anyway?_

            "Good point," she replied.

            "Aidan why were you getting _drunk_?" Ron asked again.

            "Ron!  It isn't our business if he did," Hermione admonished.

            "No, it's okay.  It was a stupid thing I did and Jordan had to clean me up and cover it up.  Which our parents still don't know about it and we'd like to keep it that way.  It was at a party we had outside of school and well, there was alcohol, and I sort of indulged.  Long story short; I got wasted.  Jordan found me and pulled me out of there before I got even worse.  She gave me hell, I think.  I was wasted so her yelling at me is still a little hazy.  The next morning I paid for it dearly.  But Jordan was nice enough to whip up a hangover potion for me so I didn't pay for it for long," Aidan's handsome face reddened in embarrassment at the memory.

            "Blimey.  My mum would have killed me if I ever did something like that and she found out.  Lucky you got Jordan, eh?  If that had been Hermione she woulda made you suffer through the hangover," Ron gibed while nudging Hermione playfully.

            "Yeah, well I knew he learned his lesson.  If he hadn't I _would_ have made him suffer and I did give you hell Aidan, only I quit when you started vomiting," Jordan shuddered.  

Not only had he vomited, he had vomited on her.  She had spent the next few days in the shower for hours on end.  How she managed to clean it up was still a mystery to her.  

            Dawn suddenly realized that these teen witches and wizards weren't so different from teen Muggles.  They had the same problems and made the same mistakes Muggles did which was really comforting to know.  Only it really surprised her that Aidan had been the one to get drunk.  Jordan honestly seemed more the type to do something like that.  She wondered if they would believe that she had been a klepto.

            "Enough about us; our lives are boring.  You guys came up against Voldemort.  Spill," she ordered.

             Ron and Ginny flinched at the name.  Hermione was astonished that she didn't flinch.  She must finally be getting over her fear.

            "Please don't say his name," Ginny requested softly.

            "Sorry.  If we're gonna beat the guy we're gonna have to tone down his image.  Meaning no 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' shit.  It's just giving him more power," Aidan said sternly.

            "He's right.  We must start using his name," Hermione stated in a determined voice.

  
            "Or better yet give him a nickname.  A funny and insulting one," Dawn suggested.

            "Good idea Dawn.  Any ideas?" Harry said.

            "How about his Royal Prickness?" Jordan suggested.

            "Jordan he's a dark wizard, not a sixteen-year-old boy who stands you up," Aidan said.

            "It's still an insulting name," Jordan replied saucily.  

            "We should ask Xander.  He's good at coming up with nicknames," Dawn said.

            They spent the better part of the waning evening on exchanging stories and coming up with nicknames for Voldemort on which none could agree on.  Dawn still kept the details of Buffy's second death and the resurrection from said death lacking in elaboration.  She also was careful not to mention why exactly the portal that Buffy jumped into had opened and what the hellgod, Glory, had been searching for.  They didn't ask, which she was grateful for.  

Jordan had been keeled over in laughter when she heard the story of Spike kidnapping Dawn.

            "What an idiot!  Oh man I miss him!  He saved my life in that battle at the hellmouth, you know?" she said.

            "He did?" Dawn asked.

            "Yeah.  Killed an Ubervamp that was about to make me a slayer kabob right after one had tore into my shoulder and I got all woozy and then a dead slayer had been dropped onto me.  I had lost my sword so that really sucked and I had already been stabbed three times, so I was basically a free-for-all at the moment.  Spike came in and snapped that bastard's neck and pulled me to my feet.  I owed him one, but I guess now there's nothing I can do," she said sadly.

              Jordan had really liked Spike; even had a crush on him.  He had somehow known she was different than the other potentials and took it upon himself to take her under his wing.  She learned many valuable lessons from him, albeit most involved Angel being a great Poofter and how Passions was the "best bloody show on the telly".  He had described word for word how he killed those two slayers to her and instead of reacting in horror she had found it fascinating.  She knew William the Bloody had killed two slayers, but hearing him tell the tale was vastly more enlightening.

            "What happened?" Aidan asked.  He wanted to hear more on the fellow that saved his sister's life.

            Dawn got a far away look in her eyes and blinked back tears.  She took a deep breath and spoke.

            "He saved us all.  Destroyed all the Ubervamps and the Hellmouth with this amulet thing Angel had brought Buffy.  He ended up burning up under the sun, so he basically sacrificed himself for us."  

            Everyone was silent after that.  Harry wanted badly to kiss the tears that were falling from Dawn's eyes.  Instead he grasped her hand and squeezed it supportively.

            "I'm sorry.  I'm gonna go-go to bed," she stammered.  "Where are the girls' rooms Hermione?"

            "Oh, this way.  We should all get to bed.  Or at least you, Jordan, and I should," she replied.

            They said their goodnights and departed into their respective dormitories.  As soon as Dawn found a bed she collapsed onto it and started crying into a pillow.  She hadn't let herself cry yet over Spike, Anya, or all the others that were lost, but now she couldn't stop.

            "Should we-?" Ginny began uncertainly as the other three looked at Dawn with sympathy.

            Jordan walked over to Dawn's bed and sat down beside the girl.  Dawn sat up and fell into her best friend's arms.  Jordan just whispered soothingly and stroked her hair like her own mother did when she cried.

            "Just let it out Dawnie.  Cry all you have to," she whispered.  

            Hermione and Ginny debated on whether or not to go over there and comfort her to.  The maternal desire to make things all better won out and the two of them joined the girls in a group hug.  Another thing that witches and Muggle girls have in common.  They have cry fests.  


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Here's a quicker update for ya!  I thank Mother Nature for that.  I spent a lot of time Friday writing most of this chapter.  School was out thanks to the beautiful ice and snow although I did have to reshovel the driveway.  Not fun.  Anywhoo, those who have seen a certain teaser-trailer for the third Harry Potter movie, which I have dozens of times since my sister can't seem to stop playing it, will notice I slipped a little something from that into here.  

Just to clarify some things.  Jordan, Harry, Aidan, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione do _not_ know about Willow's walk on the dark side.  Dumbledore probably has a hunch, not sure about that yet.  And of course Dawn has kept a lot of facts about Buffy's second resurrection hush hush for good reason I'm sure you agree.  Once again many thanks to my reviewers.

**Red2:** Yes, we will be seeing more of Hermione's slayerness.  I can't think of another word either, but it may be because it's like 1:15 in the morning.

**matt: **Your review made me laugh my ass off.  Very clever of you to use the slang and Hermione and Vi doing bong hits? Yeah sure that'll happen.  

NoAlias: More of them (well mostly Willow) coming right up. 

**Miss Kayl: **I assume you have read past chapter 14 and see my reasoning in placing Dawn in Slytherin.  I never said the hat didn't choose "half-bloods" for Slytherin.  Dawn's not a half-blood anyway.  If you'll read on I have cleared that bit up too.  I just said it never chose Muggle-borns, meaning those born to two Muggle parents.  Plus Voldemort was the heir of Salazar Slytherin, so that might've also been a major factor.

**ScruffyWes: **Sorry, but be patient.  More Wesley to come.  He's the least of my worries right now anyway.

**Silver Warrior: **Yeah, as do we all.

**Tiger Tiger2: **I loved that episode.  Go Joyce!  But poor Spike, must've been one hell of a headache.  The only reason I started watching Angel was because Spike was on there lol.

Thanks also to **tiffany2321** for reviewing.  Your support means a lot guys keep it up!__

***********************************************************************************************

The stone hallways of Hogwarts echoed with the light footsteps of a young redheaded woman.  Willow walked casually and slowly taking in every detail of the strange, but hauntingly beautiful castle.  Everything about this place was enchanting.  Everything about this world was enchanting.  She could sense the magic undulating around her.  It felt different from the dark magic of the Hellmouth in Sunnydale.  This magic felt clean, pure, and made her feel warm inside.  After performing the spell in which she awakened all the potentials, she had finally let go of all the guilt and doubt she had been carrying since she had lost herself in dark magic and nearly destroyed the world.  After doing that spell she felt cleansed of any remaining remnants of that darkness and the high she got afterwards hadn't been too bad either.

"Are you lost milady?" 

Willow jumped in surprise and clapped her hands over her mouth when she saw a transparent figure dressed in late 1400s clothing.  He was floating about five feet above the ground and wore a genuine smile that implied friendliness.  She relaxed.

"Oh.  Um, I don't think I am.  I was just taking a walk," she said proud that her voice didn't betray her slight trepidation in meeting an actual ghost.

"You must be new.  I don't recall seeing you before.  Allow me to introduce myself, I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington.  Although you may call me Sir Nicholas or even Sir Nick, if you must.  I am the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.  What is your name fair lady?" he asked politely even giving a gentlemanly bow.

"Um, I'm Willow Rosenburg.  I'm actually here helping you guys fight the good fight against your big bad.  I'm not your kind of witch though, I'm a Wicca," she explained feeling her apprehension slowly ebbing away.

"Ah!  You are among our new allies.  It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Rosenburg and I must say on behalf of the good, respectable witches and wizards of the world, thank you.  I am sure they will be most grateful for your help.  We have fallen into dark times indeed.  Darker than ever I saw back in my living days," he shook his transparent head sadly.

"Well, I'm happy to help and so are my friends.  After all, what affects you guys will eventually affect us too," she said.

"Quite true milady.  Quite true," he replied cheerfully.

Willow was unsure how to ask the question that had been growing in her mind.  It seemed a little brazen, especially for her even though she had come far since her high school days.  But she really was getting curious about it.

"Can I ask...?" she trailed off nervously.

"What is it like being a ghost?" Sir Nicholas finished while smiling kindly.

"I mean...I don't mean to...intrude or be....rude or anything, I just never really met a ghost in the flesh or well you're not exactly flesh are you?  I mean I never met a ghost in the transparent floaty whatever substance that you're made of, which is really surprising considering I lived on a hellmouth and met all sorts of nasties.  I've heard ghosts, sexually repressed crybabies in my freshmen year of college.  That wasn't fun.  But I've never talked to one before and I must sound like a complete idiot to you right now," she winced when she realized she had been babbling.  That nervous habit had, sadly, never died.

Sir Nicholas chuckled good-naturedly.

"No worries young lady, I am used to this question and I take no offense at all if that was what you were afraid of.  Unfortunately there is not much I could describe to you.  Being a ghost is most unpleasant and it is times when I see the students feasting on the seemingly scrumptious dishes that Hogwarts serve I wish I had not chosen this path.  Tis a near torture to see all that succulent food and not be able to taste a bite of it.  There are advantages, of course, I can fly, I can walk through walls and if I happen to accidentally stare another basilisk in the eye I won't have to worry about dying because I am already there," he said to her.

_Wow that's sad.  Being a part of this world, yet not being a part of this world at the same time.  _As much as she longed to see Tara again.  To see that beautiful face, see that captivating smile, hear her melodious voice so full of love and understanding would be almost heaven to Willow.  But she loved Tara too much to wish this depressing existence upon her just for the sake of being able to have her lover again.  It was better for Tara to have crossed over into a that place that Willow herself had so selfishly torn Buffy out of, or if not that specific place then somewhere like it.  Somewhere tranquil and warm where there was no pain or suffering only eternal bliss.  That was what Tara deserved more than anyone and even though Willow would do anything to have her lover back she would not compromise Tara's happiness.  She had learned her lesson.  Besides, Tara didn't die a mystical death like Buffy had, so there _was_ no coming back.  _Does Tara know what I did?  Was she watching the whole time?_  The very thought of it made Willow sick to her stomach.  Her eyes welled with tears and she turned away from Sir Nicholas to wipe them.

"Milady?  Is something wrong?  Are you well?" the noble ghost asked with concern.

Willow sniffed and the urge to cry passed.  She turned back to her new friend and gave him a reassuring smile.

"No, Sir Nicholas.  Everything will be fine," she said and she hoped it was true.

***********************************************************************************************

            Harry ran his hand through his forever unkempt hair.  It wasn't an attempt to tidy it up because that attempt would be in vain.  No, it was a gesture of nervousness as he quietly crept out of the boys' dormitory.  It was very early in the morning and the sun was just peaking out over the eastern horizon, but Harry could not sleep.  Half the night he had been kept awake by the things he had learned about Dawn's past.  Little did the beautiful girl know how much that story of her sister being brought back to life would affect him.  He didn't think it was possible.  Dumbledore had told him before that no magic on this earth could bring back those who had passed on.  But either the old man had been lying so as not to give Harry ideas, which irked the teenage boy just a little, or he had truly thought there was no magic on earth powerful enough to bring life back.  But there was.  Buffy was living proof of that.  He needed to know.  He desperately needed to know if there was any chance at all Willow could bring another person back to life.  Another person who had fell into death so undeservingly and was sorely missed.  

            Harry doubted either of the two would be awake, but he didn't plan on going to them right now because he didn't know what to say.  He needed to think about this before approaching either of the two young women.  And that in itself was unnerving.  Just knowing that Buffy had died not once, but twice, made him feel even more intimidated by her.  And Willow, the Wicca that brought her back; he was in awe that such a person could possess such power yet not abuse it like Voldemort had.  He was very glad that Willow was on their side.  Very glad indeed.

            He hadn't pressed the issue last night because it was clear Dawn had not been in any condition to answer the questions he had.  She had been grief-stricken over the death of her friend, Spike.  He couldn't believe that Dawn actually had William the Bloody, one of the notorious Scourge of Europe along with Angelus, Darla, and Drusilla, as a surrogate brother and protector.  The notion was so bizarre, yet he didn't doubt Dawn for a second when she spoke of it and Jordan even confirmed it.    

            He pondered over grabbing his invisibility cloak.  It wasn't like he was going to be snooping in some forbidden room or taking a stroll after hours.  It was more out of habit then necessity that he opened his trunk and threw the silvery cloak over himself.  He felt like disappearing for the time being.

            Harry opened the portrait and stepped out into the chilly stone hallways of the castle.  _Maybe I should research a bit more on Wiccan magic before I ask Willow about this.  I can get a better idea of it.  Yes, I should go to the library._  He walked quickly, but quietly to the large school library.  Hermione's favorite place in all of Hogwarts most likely.  Madame Pince was nowhere to be seen, but she wouldn't have been able to see him anyway.  He proceeded to look through the collection of books for anything on Wiccan magic and resurrection.  He halted when he spotted someone sitting at the tables bent over a book.  As he got a little closer he saw that it was Jordan.  _What is she doing up so early._  He crept a bit closer confident that his cloak would conceal his presence. 

            Jordan's head snapped up.  She was sure she heard something.  She turned her gaze to her left where she was certain the noise came from.  

            "Is someone in here?" she asked loudly.

            There was no answer and there didn't seem to be anything there, but the tingly feeling on the back of her neck that Buffy referred to as the, "spidey sense", whatever that meant, contradicted that.  She knew she wasn't alone, but this presence, whoever it was, was not malevolent from what she could sense.  _That's a relief, wouldn't want to get into a fight first day at a new school._  

            She stood up from her seat and narrowed her eyes when she looked at the end of the table.  The person/thing/ghost/whatever was there, watching her.  A week ago she wouldn't have noticed, but now that she was imbued with all the Slayer perks she could feel it.  After a few moments of stretching out her senses, or more like closing her eyes and just trying to not think, she ascertained that it probably wasn't a ghost.  Jordan was still new at the whole "sixth sense" thing, but ghosts gave her a different feeling.  She couldn't really describe it; it was just a different feeling.  It ticked her off that someone could see her, but she couldn't see them though.  

            "Okay.  Whoever or whatever is there make with the visibility because it is really ticking me off that you can see me and I can't see you.  I know you're there!" she demanded letting out more anger than she had meant to.

            Harry had frozen under her shrewd gaze and he had almost stopped breathing.  _I barely made a sound!  How can she know I'm here?!  _Once she starting demanding that he show himself he decided it was best to comply with the girl's demands.  He quickly pulled off his invisibility cloak and managed to meet Jordan's angry, but surprised stare.  

            "An invisibility cloak," she stated matter-of-factly then she sat back down.  

Her anger was dissipating.  Hermione had neglected to mention about Harry owning an invisibility cloak and she understood the need he might have for one.  Her mother owned one, which she kept hidden away from Aidan and Jordan lest they use it for mischievous purposes.  

"How did you know I was there?" Harry asked in disbelief still staying where he was in case Jordan was still angry.

Jordan surprised him by grinning cheekily at him.  "You gotta lot to learn about slayers Harry," she pointed to her ears.  "We have super sensitive hearing and not to mention the sixth sense thing."

"Oh," he mentally slapped himself in the head for forgetting that Jordan was a slayer too.  "I'm sorry.  I wasn't spying or anything.  I just came in looking for some books and happened to see you here."

Jordan narrowed her honey-colored eyes again.  What did he need to be invisible for?

"If you were just in here looking for some books then what's with the cloak?  Surely being in here this early in the morning isn't against the rules," she said and then alarm shone on her face as she said, "Is it?"

"No, it's just I...it's a habit.  And I...just felt like not being seen," Harry replied lamely.

Jordan nodded in understanding.  She knew the feeling.

"Have a seat.  Maybe I can learn a bit more about the famous Boy Who Lived," she gestured to the seat across from her.  "And his intentions towards my best friend," she added slyly.

Harry's face reddened at that, but he sat down anyway.  

"What do you mean by that?" he asked pretending not to know what she meant at all.

"Oh come on.  Slayer, remember?  I see things that others miss, but actually I've always had an eye for that sort of thing.  My pals back in the states called me 'Cupid'," she said.

"You mean you put people together?" he asked.

"No, well, not in the way you're thinking.  I see the attraction between two people, and not just the straight ones, but I see the attraction and give them a _little_ push in the right direction.  I don't make the matches.  It's already there, it just needs a little encouragement," she explained.

"So you want to encourage me to date Dawn?" he inquired.

"Sure, why not?  I mean you two do seem to fit, and she's a great girl and you so far seem to be a decent guy.  But right now, you both are at pretty vulnerable stages.  I don't know exactly what happened to you, but Dawn did mention that you lost your godfather.  I say cover your emotions first and wait until the both of you have let your grief go.  That way you're sure you're not going to each other out of pity or anything.  Now that doesn't mean you can't make a move now, just take it slow.  You can help each other through your grief," Jordan said with a stunning amount of wisdom.

Harry mulled over what she said and decided that Jordan had made a good point.  

"I don't know what Aidan was thinking.  You're pretty smart," he joked.

            Jordan raised an eyebrow.

            "I'm joking," he said putting his hands up.

            "Yeah well it's selective intelligence.  If only that applied to Transfiguration as well," she replied glumly gesturing to the book she was reading.  It was a book on Transfiguration.

            "So what sort of books were you looking for?" she asked.

            "I was...erm...well...I wanted to know more about Wiccan magic.  What Dawn said about her sister..." he broke off not wanting Jordan to know he was planning on finding a way to bring Sirius back.

            Jordan frowned.  She had an idea about what Harry wanted to know, but since she didn't know him very well she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

            "Anything in particular you wanted to know about Wiccan magic?" she asked.

            Harry was quiet for a moment as he debated on whether or not to tell Jordan what exactly he wanted to know.  She seemed understanding and easy going enough, but he only known her for a few days.  He finally decided that he could tell someone and Jordan might as well be that someone.

            "I want to know more on resurrection spells.  If Willow can bring Buffy back from the dead, who's to say she can't bring someone else back as well?" his green eyes were shining with hope.

            "Uh, okay?" Jordan said uncertainly.

            "Do you think she would do it?   I know she hasn't known me very long, but I really need to have him back.  He was like a father to me.  He was the only father I knew," he seemed to be pleading for her approval.

            Jordan was at a loss about how to respond to Harry.  Her heart ached for him and the suffering he must be going through.  But she honestly didn't know what she could say.  Bringing people back from the dead was territory she had judged best for her to stay away from.  But if something happened to Aidan....

            "Harry, I don't think I'm the person to talk to.  You should ask Willow or Buffy about this because I don't know anymore about it than you do.  When Dawn was telling Hermione and I about it at my house a few nights ago she wasn't very forthcoming about it.  It was painful for her to speak of it, which leads me to believe that something went wrong or very nearly did," she said softly.

            Harry was taken aback by her answer.  He hadn't thought about it that way, but even Jordan's unspoken (and maybe even unintentional) warning would not deter him from his quest.  He would find a way to bring Sirius back.  He owed that much to him.

***********************************************************************************************

            Dawn nervously descended the steps to her Potions classroom.  At breakfast this morning Ron and Ginny had forewarned her about the Potions professor, Snape.  They told her how he loved to torment Harry and always favored the students from his house.  She then had to remind them that she was in his house, so maybe he wouldn't be so hard on her.  She certainly hoped he would be nicer to her.  

            _Okay Dawn, you can do this, he's just a teacher.  Much less scarier than anything you've seen or handled.  You've kissed a vampire!  You can handle one mean teacher.  He is the head of your house after all.  _Dawn shivered as she entered the classroom and she was really wishing she had remembered her jacket.  Being a native of southern California was a serious setback to attending school in Scotland.  Even though it was summer and fairly warm, the Potions classroom was still chilly.

            Professor Snape wasn't in the classroom and she wasn't sure if she was relieved about that or not.  She would have preferred to have Jordan with her, but her friend had Charms as her first makeup class.  Besides, Jordan would be studying at a higher level than Dawn herself.  Carrying all her necessary potion-making materials Dawn chose a seat in the middle of the first row and waited for her teacher.  She didn't wait long.  As soon as she sat down she heard a door open and then slam shut.

            "I see you are at least learned in the ways of punctuality Miss Summers," an oily, sneering voice uttered as a pale, hook-nosed man in black robes with greasy black hair walked briskly to the front of the classroom.

            "Um, thanks?" she replied.

            Snape's dark eyes narrowed at this young Muggle-born who was now supposedly a member of Slytherin House.  Why the Sorting Hat chose to place her in _his_ house he didn't understand.  She was born of two Muggles (unless he heard wrong) and was raised in the Muggle world.  The hat had been known to choose half-bloods for the house of the serpent.  Lord Voldemort himself had been a half-blood.  But it had never before chosen a full-blooded Muggle.  He refrained now from using that distasteful term "mudblood".  It had often been a word coming out of his mouth in the past.  A past he wanted very much to forget.  Besides, he had to grudgingly admit that Granger _was_ a witch with more wits than many purebloods he knew.  _Crabbe and Goyle are such disgraces._  

            "First Miss Summers, I am the head of Slytherin House of which you are now apart.  If you have any problems you come to me.  Understood?" he asked.

            Dawn nodded.

            "Second, you will not be needing your wand in this class unless instructed otherwise.  We do none of the silly wand waving here," he said.

            "Got it.  No making with the magic," she replied.

            Snape glared at her.  Not only was she Muggle-born and almost completely ignorant of how things worked in the Wizarding world, she was also American.  _Three new students and they're all American.  What is Dumbledore trying to do to me?_  He was dreading having the Firewell girl after lunch.  Her parents and him weren't on the best of terms.  A lot of enmity still existed between the two men.  Jordan's father, Gabriel, had accepted that Snape was no longer a Death Eater and was now a valuable asset to the fight against evil, but he still didn't like the man.  Gabriel had once believed that it was in fact Snape who had killed his father, Christopher Firewell, but fortunately for Snape that was proven false.

            Dawn felt her teacher's eyes burning into her with undisguised displeasure.  She felt it was her duty as a rebellious teenager to meet his eyes and stare right back.

            Snape noticed that the girl didn't react in fear towards him which both intrigued and annoyed him.  He had always enjoyed the looks of pure terror from the younger students.  Perhaps it was the girl's more mature age or her growing up on a hellmouth.  Whichever it was, she had not only met his eyes, but was staring back with equal vehemence.  His lips almost curled into a thin smile.

            "Well, Miss Summers, shall we begin?"

***********************************************************************************************

            "Relax Hermione, just take some deep breaths," Buffy said to the young slayer.

            Hermione was dressed in her blue training suit, which she might add was very exposing but she supposed that was the way they all were, and had managed to pull back her thick, curly brown hair into a ponytail.  Around the training room other slayers sparred in pairs and she had to admire the grace in which they moved.  How was she ever going to move like that?

            "Better?" the blonde slayer asked.

             Hermione nodded.  They had been training for over an hour and so far Hermione had spent the better part of that time getting acquainted with her new powers.  Buffy felt it was best she know what she was capable of before throwing a punch or a kick.  She was already getting used to the immense amount of physical strength she possessed and was now testing out the lesser obvious aspects that come with being a Chosen One.  One Buffy affectionately dubbed "the spidey sense".  

            Hermione had cleared her mind, a very difficult thing to do in her case, and let her senses stretch out.  She was awed and delighted about the fact that she could feel the power of the Slayer emanating off every girl in the room, but what she was most delighted about was she could feel the magic around her.  It was indescribable this feeling.  She only knew that she very much liked the feeling.  

            Now she was into the physical part of her training.  Buffy and Faith had each demonstrated numerous defensive moves and offensive moves.  Hermione had successfully managed to block 2/3 of the punches thrown at her by both of the original slayers.  

            Faith had been especially impressed with the "new recruit" when she learned that Hermione had hit a demon with a chair.  

            "Shows you're resourceful kid.  That's good.  It'll keep you alive longer," the raven-haired slayer had said.

            Hermione didn't think it had been very resourceful.  Any half-wit would have used that chair as a weapon.  It was so obvious, or so she thought.

            After a grueling amount of exercises, in which Buffy and Faith managed to wear Hermione out enough for her limbs to ache, they finally called for a lunch break.  Hermione was all too happy to obey.

***********************************************************************************************

            Ron's eyes lit up when the slayers walked into the dining hall for lunch.  Of course there were a good bit of beautiful young ladies dressed in form-fitting training suits, which he didn't fail to notice, but most of his attention was on one particular curly-haired brunette.  He hadn't noticed before the fantastic feminine figure she had.  Probably because he had mostly seen her in Hogwarts uniform covered with robes.  _Muggles are quite possibly the best bloody dressers in the world.  Simply brilliant._

            "Ron, you're...erm...drooling," Harry said trying not to laugh.

            "Bloody hell Harry.  Look at her...erm...them," he said in awe.

            Harry had indeed noticed the girls walking in.  But he was a bit more discreet about it.  

            "Ron, you might wanna stop gawking cuz they might take it the wrong way and well, I think you know what they could do," Aidan warned him.

            The tall redhead's stunned look switched to alarm and he quickly averted his gaze.  His sister giggled mercilessly beside him when Hermione sat down across from them and the tips of Ron's ears turned bright red.

            "Shut up Ginny," he mumbled.

            Aidan and Harry snickered at their friend's predicament.  

            "Whew!  Herbology is an odd subject," Dawn said as she came and sat down beside Harry.

            "How was Potions?  Was Snape mean?" Harry asked.

            "Well I think he was a little disappointed that I didn't quiver with fear, but he was alright.  Bearable I would say," she said.

            "He should treat you nicer since you're in Slytherin though.  I wonder how he'll act towards Jordan," Ginny said thoughtfully.

            "Well our father told us that if we get any problems from him we are to owl him right away.  Dad never liked Snape.  Mom's okay with him though," Aidan told them.

            "Dawn?  How were your first classes?" Giles asked as he, Xander, and Willow joined the group.

            "Good.  I haven't actually done any magic yet, but I will after lunch.  I've got Charms and Transfiguration next.  I can't wait," she answered.

            "You'll be turning people into frogs in no time," Xander said.

            "No!  No frogs!" Willow exclaimed.  She didn't like frogs.

            "Hey Dawnie!  How were the magic classes?  Set fire to anything?" Buffy asked sitting down beside her sister.

            "No," Dawn said.

            "Well that's good.  Unless you were supposed to set fire to something.  Were you?" the petite slayer said.

            "No wand flicking yet.  First two classes dealt with bubbling cauldrons and weird plants," her sister said.

            "That reminds me of Macbeth," Willow said thoughtfully.

            "Double double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble," Hermione recited.

            "Something wicked this way comes," Aidan pointed and they all saw Jordan approaching.

            Jordan had not been having the greatest day.  Charms went fine, but she was good at Charms and Professor Flitwick was real cool.  Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall had been nothing short of a nightmare.  To come to a table where everyone was suddenly laughing at her didn't help.  

            "What?" she asked crossly.

            "Got me mate," Ron shrugged.

            "It's nothing Jordan.  Just a little Shakespeare reference," Aidan assured her.

            "How do you know about Shakespeare?" Harry asked.

            "Muggle studies.  That was the famous Muggle I did a report on," the tall American boy said.

            "Yeah.  I think you went overboard on the report.  You didn't have to actually read his plays," Jordan said.

            "What?  They were good," Aidan said.

            "You changed clothes," Dawn remarked.  "Why?"

            Jordan cleared her throat and eyed the staff table.  Professor McGonagall wasn't there yet.  

            "Let's just say I have another memory of Transfiguration class to repress," the girl shuddered.

            "What happened?" Buffy asked.

            "Well, for one thing she just had to start with a fricken worm for 'review'.  I was supposed to transfigure it into a lock of hair," she paused to collect herself.  "And well, I point my wand at it, say the spell, and POP!  Worm guts everywhere."

            Xander sprayed pumpkin juice everywhere.  Willow put her hand to her mouth.  

            "Good lord," Giles grimaced.

            "You blew it up?!" Aidan couldn't help but laugh at that.  "That's a first."

            "Disgusting," Ginny dropped her fork.

            "Gross," Dawn grimaced along with Giles.

            "Wicked!  Fred and George would love you!" Ron exclaimed.

            Hermione and Buffy didn't say anything, but their expressions of intense disgust were more than enough to declare their feelings.

            "Bet McGonagall enjoyed that one," Harry joked.

            "Oh yeah.  Maybe she enjoyed it so much she'll kick me out of class and I won't have to take it anymore," Jordan said glowing at the thought of no more Transfiguration.

            "Nice try.  But McGonagall loves a challenge," Ron said.

            "Lucky me," Jordan muttered.

            "Oh come on Jordan.  I'm sure it was only because of your thing with worms and hey Mom and Dad are here," he gestured to a group of Aurors including Tonks, Moody, and Jordan and Aidan's parents.

            "Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but we need you, you, you, and you," Mr. Firewell said as he pointed to Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander.

            "Is this about the demons?" Willow asked.

            "Yeah," Tonks answered.

            "What about us?" Harry asked.

            "Yeah, one of the bastards broke my arm!  I wanna know what the hell they were doing," Jordan spat letting her ire from what happened in Transfiguration get the better of her.

            "You will, honey.  After we speak with these four.  And don't swear," her mother said.

            Buffy, Xander, Giles, and Willow excused themselves and left the dining hall with the Aurors leaving behind leaving six very peeved teenagers glaring at where they left.

            "Well that sucks," Dawn said folding her arms indignantly over her chest.

                      


	18. Chapter Eighteen

I am extremely sorry for the long wait and this is sort of a short chapter, but my teachers seem to want to give me more homework, which since I do plan on going to college and into the medical field I should do.  And family members and friends have been in and out of the hospital, but luckily nothing too serious.  Mommy is sane and back home again with her rotten husband her turned her insane in the first place.  Just so you know that rotten husband is not my father thank God.  So it's been a hellride.  Thanks to my reviewers and Matthew for being patient and barely  mentioning my belated updating at all.  Also thanks to David for iming me and giving me his thoughts.  Really appreciated that.

**Cesium: **I think you might be the only person that caught that.  So kudos to you!

**matt: **Aww you're sweet.  But it was just Matthew messing with me.  He got bored.  Wait till you see how Ron reacts when he actually sees her training.  Glad you liked the worm thing.  Poor Jordan though.  Thanks for the support.

**A Watcher: **Well I couldn't make them perfect, cuz that's just no fun at all.  Glad you liked it.

**becks89: **Yes major blowup (and not just worms lol)  coming up soon.  This trailer was actually on the internet which my sister had to keep watching over and over.  It was the Macbeth thing that was the trailer reference.  

**benny2000: **Yes it will.  But good things come to those who wait; a long time.  

**Nerwen: **Oh yeah you're right I forgot about that episode.  Well Willow doesn't know what it's like to be a ghost for 500 years and to be doomed for eternity into that existence.  Thanks for pointing it out.

**Tiger Tiger2: **They're canceling Angel this sucks!  No more Spike.  And yeah Joyce kicked ass in that episode.

**dancetdplc: **Yeah I was having fun with the spidey sense.  Hope to have more fun with it and Ron in the future lol.  Yeah I always thought it was in England too, but it makes sense that it's in Scotland since Scotland isn't as populated and everyone is more spread out.  

**ScruffyWes: **Well he's already got them up pretty high and it's not gonna be pretty when Willow and Buffy burst his bubble, but that is yet to come.  More Wesley to come also as you wish.

Thanks also to **Silver Warrior¸ **and **eth** for reviewing.  You guys rock!  Keep it up!Oh and Matthew, you are not the only one who thinks that although from what I saw in the movie I can't say I agree with you.  

***********************************************************************************************

"They're all dead?!" Buffy asked incredulously.

            All of the eight Aurors, some the Scoobies recognized and others that they didn't, nodded their heads grimly.  Professor Dumbledore was sitting behind them watching the scene.  His jolly countenance was gone; replaced with something akin to worry.  If Dumbledore was worried, then that made the Scoobies very uneasy.  

            "So you guys got nothing outta them?" Faith ventured.

            "Well, we did manage to learn some things," Tonks said.

            "But how did they die?  Surely you all had nothing to do with it," Giles said.

            The dark-wizard catchers exchanged meaningful glances.  What had happened completely flummoxed the lot of them.  They thought that the group from Sunnydale might be better at shedding some light on the issue.  

            "Truthfully, we have no idea how it happened.  We were questioning them and fifteen minutes into the interrogation they all simultaneously started having violent spasms and then they all died," explained Kingsley.

            "You didn't happen to accidentally give them poison or something?" Willow asked.

            "Merlin no!  We would never be so utterly careless!" a middle-aged woman by the name of Emmeline Vance replied indignantly.

            "Okay so the demons are dead and we don't know how, but what did you manage to learn from them?" Buffy asked.

            Every witch and wizard in the room sighed and whispered among each other before answering the Slayer's question.  

            "We administered Veratiserum, the truth potion.  Only on some demons it won't work, so we had to do truth spells instead.  We developed many of those specifically over in America and Canada for demons because we have more of a problem with them than Death Eaters," Mr. Firewell told them.

            "That's great, but what did you learn?" Xander asked impatiently.

            "Well, they aren't working for Voldemort.  Which is good and bad," Tonks said.

            "How is that bad.  I see that as good.  Very of the good," Xander exclaimed.

            "Xander, do please listen to what they are saying.  If those demons that attacked us in London were not working for the dark lord, then it would seem we have another foe on our hands," Giles said to him.

            "Oh.  Not good.  Definitely not good," Xander's face paled.

            "This is why we didn't want the children to know about this just yet," Mrs. Firewell said softly.

            "But that demon told me to stay out of the fight and that it wasn't my business.  Last time I checked, this fight with Voldemort was the only one I joined recently.  So they must have something to do with him," Buffy said her hands on her hips as she paced.

            "Miss Summers, calm down please.  It is not time to panic yet," Dumbledore spoke up.

            Buffy took some breaths and ran her hand through her hair.  She didn't even want to think about having another foe to fight.  From what she had learned in these past few days about Voldemort and his infamous Death Eaters he was going to be difficult to defeat.  Not only that, but according to that prophecy Harry was the only one who could kill him, which meant he needed to be kept alive at all costs.  She stopped her pacing as a thought came to her.  It had something to do with what Jordan's brother Aidan had said after the demon attacks. 

            _"It means he could have just been testing Buffy out.  Seeing how good she was."_

            She was about to speak her thoughts when Willow beat her to it.

            "Are there ways to work around the, uh, Veratiserum and truth spells?  People have been known to take sedatives like valium to fool lie detector tests in our world.  Your ways are probably really good, but they can't be foolproof."

            "I like this girl.  Like the way she thinks," Moody grunted in approval.  

            "Yeah, I was just thinking about that, well not exactly that, but I was getting to it.  What if they were testing me out?  Maybe they were supposed to get caught.  The big bads I've fought before didn't seem too concerned about the well-being of their servants.  It sounds like this Voldemort guy is the same," Buffy pointed out.

            "You're right about that.  You-Know-Who is mostly out for himself," Tonks said.

            "And Miss Rosenburg is correct about Veratiserum and truth spells not being infallible.  There are indeed methods to counter the effects," Dumbledore said.

            "Perhaps we should contact Angel at Wolfram and Hart to get his people on this," Giles suggested.

            At the mention of the notorious law firm's name several of the Aurors loudly protested against the suggestion Giles had made.

            "Merlin's Beard!  Have you lost your wits?!"

            "Absolutely not!"

            "Are you barking mad?!"

            "Well gee, don't all agree at once," Faith spewed sarcastically.

            "I'm right with you all on that one," Xander piped up.  Willow smacked him in the arm.

            "Wolfram and Hart has had numerous dealings with suspected and convicted Death Eaters and other dark witches and wizards.  Every Auror in North America has brought in at least one witch or wizard that has worked with Wolfram and Hart.  They are not to be trusted," Mrs. Firewell replied coolly.

            "But Angel is CEO and he's a good guy.  He and his friends are working to change it," Willow said.

            "Oh yes, Angel.  One of the four Scourge of Europe; probably the worst of them.  My daughter told me that you knew him.  Can you honestly say you trust this _vampire_?" Mr. Firewell's voice was filled with venom.  He was disgusted at the thought of anyone having association with a bloodsucker.

            "I would trust Angel with my life.  He has a soul and he is working to make up for what he did when he was Angelus.  He would never betray us.  Ever," Buffy angrily came to the defense of her ex-lover and the look in her eyes made Mr. Firewell's own stern gaze falter.

            Mrs. Firewell laid a calming hand on her husband's arm.  He relaxed at his wife's touch and tore his gaze from the Slayer.  He knew he was being irrational about this.  His daughter did inform him that this Angel did have a soul and wouldn't harm any good human being.  But ever since he had found out about his precious little girl being a potential vampire slayer he developed an intense hatred for the undead.  They were the reason she might die an early and brutal death; that she might be taken away from him too soon.  When she had gone to fight at the Hellmouth in Sunnydale he never got a good night's sleep and was constantly imagining scenarios of her falling at the hands of a demon or vampire each one worse than the last.  He of course never let Jordan know about his feelings and put on a proud, brave front for her sake.  Aidan had been the only one to voice his true feelings on his sister's predicament.

            "Honey, she's right.  From what Jordan has told us and after meeting him he is trustworthy.  We need him and his resources," Mrs. Firewell whispered to her husband.

            "I know," he admitted.

            Even Xander had to finally admit that calling on the vampire that he had once tried to compete with for Buffy's affections was necessary.  He thought it rather noble of himself to go along with the plan.

            "Shouldn't we tell the rest of the slayers?  And maybe Harry and his friends ought to know," Tonks said.

            Dumbledore chuckled with newfound merriment.  "Oh I don't doubt they would find out soon enough anyway whether we told them or not."

            "Yeah I guess so.  Dawn will bug me all night and day about it anyway," Buffy sighed.

***********************************************************************************************

            "So let me get this straight, you had the surviving demons in custody and were interrogating them and fifteen minutes into the interrogation they started spasming and all that good stuff and flat-lined on you.  Not only that, but with the truth spells and theratserum whatever stuff you found they _don't_ work for Voldemort," Dawn recapped more to herself then to everyone else gathered in the room after the teenagers were allowed inside to hear what had happened.

            "Pretty much," Buffy confirmed smiling sardonically at her sister.

            "Go figure," Jordan muttered while shaking her head.

            "Willow and Buffy had a theory though.  It's both bad and good depending on how you take it," Giles said.

            " It is possible that the demons were caught on purpose or whoever sent them knew they would get caught so they took precautions against truth spells and Veratiserum," Tonks told them.

            "I still think all those stupid interrogations and protocol are lame.  You shoulda just let me and B deal with em.  Guarantee you those precautions wouldn't have done shit," Faith said.

            Hermione had no doubt about what Faith meant by "dealing with them", but she had a feeling that the raven-haired slayer was right.  She was a little shocked that she was agreeing with Faith's more aggressive suggestion of getting answers from the demons.  The clever Gryffindor girl tended to abhor all manners of violence whether it be on those who deserved it or not.  She deemed her new take on violence another aspect that came with the Slayer package and she was not sure if she was exactly happy with this one.

            "Miss...Faith, I'll have you know our manners of extracting information are highly sophisticated and we do not sink down to the level of blatant physical torture!" an Auror named Sturgis Podmore exclaimed.

            "But you deal with mostly human beings.  Demons are our territory; we should have dealt with them whether they had connections with Voldemort or not," Buffy replied coldly.

            "Well, it's a bit late for either of us to do anything about it," Tonks said.

            "Is that all you guys talked about?" Aidan asked.

            "Um....we were going to contact Angel at Wolfram and Hart and request his help, but other than that yes," his mother answered.

            "You're kidding?  That was _it_?!" Jordan hissed as she stood up and crossed her arms over her chests.  "Why didn't you tell us all this the first time around.  Or did you just sugarcoat everything?"

            "Well, you all are rather young Miss Firewell," the Auror named Emmeline Vance said.

            Jordan laughed derisively and put her hand on her forehead.  Some of these Aurors still thought of them as children.  It was absurd really considering everything they had seen or experienced.  The ridiculousness of it suddenly made it all very amusing to the auburn-haired slayer.  

            "And your point is?" Harry asked, speaking up for the first time since he had entered the room.

            "Oh their point is that since we can't count as many years as them we're much too delicate to hear the full story straight and true.  Been there done that.  We're not kids so stop treating us like it.  We were there when the demons attacked too and some of us even fought them.  We do need to know what's going on," Dawn clarified as bitterness filled her voice.  

            Almost every adult in the room stared at the tall brunette in shock that was slowly turning to respect and understanding.  Dumbledore nodded his head in approval at the girl.  The corners of his mouth turned up into a smirk at the expressions of guilt on some of the Aurors' faces.  

            "Go Dawn!  I'd love to add on to that, but I'm due in Potions class in about five minutes.  Aidan, I expect a full report on everything I miss," Jordan said before walking out of the room.

            Dawn grabbed her things and departed for her first Transfiguration class, but she made sure to make Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles promise to tell her everything as well.  Buffy watched her sister walk out of the room and couldn't suppress the awful sinking feeling that made her suspect the bitterness in Dawn's voice was partly because of herself. 

***********************************************************************************************

            The Lord Voldemort sat in his silver chair encrusted with emeralds (colored in honor of his ancestor Salazar Slytherin) as he awaited for his servant to bring him news of how their latest plan came out.  His snake, Nagini, lay by his feet coiled and ready to strike at any that dare threatened to come within five feet of her master.  A year ago he had arisen thanks to Harry Potter himself who had been the reason of his downfall nearly fifteen years ago.  Now everyone in the Wizarding World knew he was back.  And the fear that had erupted and spread like wildfire gave him the utmost satisfaction.  _They shall learn to fear more than my name._  He would make Potter bleed once more and he would make him scream in agony until his throat became too hoarse to even whisper.  The boy would not escape him again.  

            His chamber echoed with the raps inflicted onto his door.  Nagini lifted up her flat head and hissed.  

            "Enter," Voldemort answered loudly and slowly.

            The door opened to reveal Wormtail, shaking and cowering as always and another who showed a great deal less fear.  Wormtail guided the young man in and they both approached the dark lord.  The shorter of the two, Wormtail, was no longer balding but now bald and where his robes use to be snug now hung loose.  Service under the dark lord was a stressful, if not downright terrifying task.  It was made all the more terrifying to someone who had been weak and cowardly to begin with.  The taller, dressed in red and black robes, strode almost languidly down the carpeted aisle.  He was pale of skin with dark chestnut colored hair that hung slightly above his shoulders.  His dark brown eyes spoke of an ever-present lust for power and gleamed with unbridled malice.  He was just like any Death Eater Voldemort had in his service.  Only this man was not a Death Eater.  He was a wizard born to two magical parents.  In fact he was born into one of the eldest and most revered of all pureblood families left in the world.  The family of Hastemire had been faithful servants of the Lord Voldemort in his efforts to cleanse the Wizard world of the Mudblood cancer that was growing larger by the year.  Yes, the young man was definitely prime material for receiving the dark mark.  There was just one problem.  Unlike the rest of his brothers and sisters, this particular young man had been born without magical powers.  He was a squib and therefore an utter embarrassment to his whole family.  But he had other powers and though Voldemort despised all things Muggle; Wiccan magic did have its uses.

            "My Lord, Hastemire has sssome news for you," Wormtail stuttered as he bowed low before Voldemort.

            "I see.  Leave us," Voldemort ordered.

            Wormtail bowed again and skirted out of the room slamming the large oaken doors shut behind him.  _Disgusting fool, if he had not helped to raise me I would be done with him._  

            "Well Hastemire?" Voldemort asked impatiently.

            "My Lord, I have some new reports from my demon contacts on the Slayer situation.  One of the demons, Kralug, is a renowned seer in the Underworld and he sensed a great disturbance among the Slayer line.  I should be getting a clearer report soon, but from what I was able to discern this doesn't look entirely well for you," the young man replied calmly.

            "And what of your demon servants?  Did they go after that girl and her friends from the recently destroyed hellmouth?" Voldemort asked.

            The young man smiled maliciously.  It marred his handsome face into an ugly hateful semblance of a man.

            "Yes, My Lord.  The Aurors took into custody those that survived.  My spell worked perfectly and the demons were dead soon after.  Although I am sure the Aurors managed to get in some questions," Hastemire quickly added when he saw his Lord's eyes blazing with fury.  "But no matter.  If they were to question if they worked for you they would answer truthfully 'no' since they work for me."

            Voldemort stood up and walked down the stone steps to where his servant stood.  This news of disturbance in the Slayer line was not something he was pleased about.  Dumbledore had already joined forces with the Slayer, Summers, and the other one, the one who had once joined the dark side but had redeemed herself.  Voldemort knew of these latest slayers because of his newest servant.  Hastemire told him they could pose a threat.  The young women imbued with powers rooted in darkness were very intriguing to Lord Voldemort.  How powerful indeed he would be if he could harness that mysterious magic that made the Slayers.  

            "Very well.  You shall inform me the moment you receive word with this demon seer of yours," the dark lord instructed coldly.

            Hastemire bowed and said, "Yes My Lord."

            "You are dismissed," Voldemort told the man.

            Hastemire instantly turned on his heel and left the room in a much more dignified manner than Wormtail.  _What a cowardly little rat._  He walked briskly down a long stone hallway and went down dozens of flights of stairs until he came to a black doorway with a hexagram invisible to all but him on it.  He whispered some words in Romanian and the door creaked open.  It opened to a dark, dingy, room filled with all the Wiccan paraphernalia one could find in a magic shop.  Most, however, one had to acquire in the Black Market of the Underworld.  Hastemire threw some herbs into a bowl and whispered some more words, this time in Latin.  Then in English he uttered,

            "Show her to me."

            The smoke eddied and swirled to form a picture of a pretty, young redheaded woman.  Hastemire watched as the woman's red hair became ebony colored and her fair skin was marred by blue veins.  And her eyes changed to liquid black and burned with anger, and unspeakable pain.  The young man smiled at the picture. 

            "You wanted to end it all my dark angel.  You have no idea of the powers you possess do you?" he whispered lovingly to the picture as if she were actually able to hear him.

            Ever since he had heard of the powerful Wicca Willow, one who had managed to bring a person back from the dead, he had become obsessed with her.  Long had he searched for someone to aid him in overthrowing Voldemort and taking the Wizarding World for his own.  Willow had passed the test with flying colors only she didn't know it yet.  He cared little about the slayers and whatever might have happened to disturb the line of the Chosen.  _Voldemort is a fool for not seeing her power, her darkness.  _Hastemire could not boast that he was the most powerful warlock for he wasn't.  Although he did have access to powers many others didn't.  Willow was far more powerful than him, but she was far more vulnerable and less willing to use her magic.  He knew that she shied away from using her powers to their fullest potential.  _But you shan't have to worry about that because I will teach you to not fear the black magics.  Such gifts they give to us._  

            All his life he had been shunned and ridiculed for being a squib.  His family was the worst.  His father had beat him repeatedly; his mother had flat-out ignored him; his siblings had viciously taunted him; and he had to watch with growing hatred as they went off to Hogwarts while he was left at home hidden away from the world.  When he grew into adulthood he left his home and pursued another path of magic.  He learned all there was to know about Wicca just to spite his family since they were ardent Muggle-haters.  His hatred of his family continued to fester until the spark finally became fully ignited.  Under the influence of dark magics already he had concocted a plan to be rid of his family once and for all.  Oh and carrying out the plan; he had never felt so powerful as when he took his young niece and snapped her delicate little neck.  That he knew he hadn't needed to do, but he couldn't resist it when the young girl had just awoken and walked down the stairs of his brother's home to get a glass of water.  She had looked so innocent with her blonde curls and baby blue eyes it had been almost sorry to watch the light go out of them as she died.  And the look on his brother's face when he had found his daughter lying at the foot of the stairs dead was priceless.  Years had passed since then and he knew some of his family still survived, but forever fearing the day when he would come for them too.  He would make them pay soon enough.  But first he would claim the redheaded Wicca as his own dark bride.

***********************************************************************************************

Boy he's a sick twisted psycho isn't he?  Damn he turned out even eviler than I planned.  Looks like trouble is headed Willow's way.   __

              __


	19. Chapter Nineteen

            Okay this was a tad later than I had in mind but it's here finally.  I realize the story is progressing slowly, but most good ones do and there is a reason for it.  I had to establish new characters and tie up certain loose ends (not all) and so on and so forth.  But after this chapter things will speed up.  The next will take place at Harry's birthday party and right now it's basically the beginning of July.  Warning: there is mushiness at the end of this chapter.  It had to be done.  Suck it up Matthew and read it!  LOL.  Lots of thanks to my reviewers.  Writing this helps me retain my sanity (mostly) and I love getting feedback.

**Sweetkey: **Sorry, but I believe that Xander had gotten over Buffy a long time ago and now just loves her like a sister.  I'm not even sure I'm putting Buffy with anyone.  I may just keep her single in this story, but in the sequel she may get with someone.  And there will be no Draco love triangle with Dawn and Harry sorry about that.  There will, however, be a lot more Dawn/Harry next chapter and she will of course be very gifted with the magic.

**dancetdplc:** Hmmmm.  Well I hope you understand it now, but if you don't just know that Hastemire didn't bother drugging the demons to counteract the truth-spell affects, but the Scoobies don't know that.  And yeah I was going for a creepy effect glad it worked out.  Also glad you liked the Wolfram and Hart comments.

**Tiger Tiger2: **Well I think there are petitions online you can sign to keep it on the air.  I'm not sure where though, but don't lose hope entirely.  

**Felicia Neko: **Yeah they're my favorite kind too.  The kind you love to hate.

**becks89: **Yeah Willow could definitely kick his ass, but he's got a few tricks up his sleeve that might throw her.

**benny2000: **You rock!  Thanks for defending me and my story, but I hate to tell you the dude guess didn't mean it.  It was only Matthew messing with me cuz he got bored.  But it is the thought that counts so kudos to you!  BTW you're free to yell at bill all you want.

**ScruffyWes: **Wesley and the Angel gang will show next chapter.  I'm making Wesley a watcher again cuz I think he would be an awesome watcher now (unlike his first time around).  So we'll see more of him and possibly of Fred (hint hint).  Omg that last episode of Angel was incredible.  Fred makes a pretty demon but poor Wesley!  Needless to say you will have to chuck everything that's happened in Angel this season.      

Oh and to that anonymous reviewer named bill.  Let me just start out by saying that you sir are extremely rude.  I am well aware that Buffy is the leader of this army, but who do you think she's fighting for?  I'll give you a hint in case you're a little slow, his name starts with Dumble and ends with dore.  I am sorry to say that (well actually I'm not) that you've only succeeded in making a total ass of yourself and it is not I that is the moron, but you.  Adieu!  

Also thanks to **Silver Warrior **and **WiccaGod-Triquetrawarrior** for reviewing. 

    

*********************************************************************************************** 

The rain beat hard against the windows of Hogwarts on Friday morning.  Professor Dumbledore sat in his office writing on a long piece of parchment.  Fawkes was perched on the edge of Dumbledore's desk crooning softly.  Dumbledore's head snapped up when a person dressed in faded blue robes came out of the fireplace.  He smiled when he saw the witch and rose to greet her.  

            She was of average height with black hair and pale skin.  Even though she was only in her mid-twenties she seemed to be far older.  Her face was pinched and haggard with the familiar look of one who has forever been living in fear and never slept for more than four or five hours a night.  She carried two black bags with her which she clutched to herself tightly as if they were in danger of being ripped out of her grasp.

            "Miss Malfoy I am so glad you made it.  Sit down," Dumbledore said taking her by the arm.

            The young woman nodded gratefully and sat down in a chair that appeared at her side.  After sitting down she ran her hand through her hair and laughed softly.

            "You have any idea how long it's been since someone called me by that name?" she whispered.

            "A long time I should hope.  For you are still thought to be dead," Dumbledore replied as he waved his wand and produced a steaming cup of tea which he handed to the witch.  

            "I was practically doing bloody jumping jacks when I heard my father had been taken to Azkaban.  May the dementors suck the bloody life out of that evil bastard," she said before taking a sip.

            Under different circumstances Dumbledore would have reprimanded the woman for speaking so harshly of the one who half contributed to her existence.  But in the case of Senna Malfoy she was justified.  When she had first started school at Hogwarts she had been just like her younger brother Draco; haughty, cruel, and a tormentor of Muggle-borns and Muggle sympathizers.  Lucius Malfoy had been somewhat disappointed when his firstborn child had been female, but he still molded her to his liking and was readying her for receiving the dark mark when she graduated from Hogwarts.  Her seventh year at Hogwarts changed things; drastically.  She rejected her father's ways and sought to expose him for the evil wizard that he was.  Rather then risk exposure he attempted to silence her; permanently.  He thought he had succeeded.  Surprisingly, the Malfoys' House elf, Dobby, had saved the young witch and helped conceal her.  One would think Senna could have exposed her father for sure, but she lacked proof and she knew that if she were to try to go out in the open he would have her killed one way or another.  Lucius Malfoy was a very popular and powerful wizard and she was much too afraid for her life to try and expose him again.  At least not without help, but Dumbledore could no more get actual proof than she could.  But he did help her keep up the pretense that she was dead until her time came.  

            "So, you sure it's 'my time' yet?  Cuz there are still a couple of my father's close friends that would be less than happy to see me alive," she said.

            "Senna, you must understand that it could have been your time a year ago.  But it was all up to you and if you could summon the courage to come out of hiding," the old professor told her.

            Senna didn't answer but looked down in apparent shame.  She had kept herself hidden all these years because she was too damn afraid of what her father or his friends would do to her.  But when she heard about Voldemort arising again and her father being sent to Azkaban she decided it was time to reacquaint herself with her old school.  She sniffed and brushed some dark hair out of her eyes.  

            "I can't even remember what I used to look like. I changed everything," she murmured as she stared at the dark locks caught between her fingers.

            "You can revert back to who you were.  Severus would gladly make you the necessary potions to reverse the changes," Dumbledore said kindly.

            Senna vigorously shook her head.  The last thing she wanted to see was the face that so resembled the man she most hated.  The same blonde hair, the same porcelain facial features, the same icy blue eyes.  She didn't understand why she had such a problem looking at her face when Draco looked more like their father than she did.  She had changed her facial features using various potions, colored her hair, and put in contacts to cover her icy blue eyes.  Her eyes were now a bluish-green.  

            "Are you ready to see your rooms and prepare for your first classes?" Dumbledore asked.

            "I don't know if I can stand seeing him, but not being able to tell him..." she trailed off sadly.

            "As I said again you may still recover who you once were and reunite with your brother," Dumbledore replied.

            "No, he'll hate me," Senna said.

            "He might for a little while, but young Mr. Malfoy loved you dearly and I am sure he still misses you very much," he said.

            "I'm not ready to be Senna Malfoy again.  For now Melissa Pennison will do and maybe...I'll stop being such a pathetic coward and face him and the others I left behind," Senna looked at Dumbledore with hopeful eyes as she stood.

            "Very well, you will be doing tutoring all throughout the summer to two new students of ours from America.  One is Dawn Summers, a Muggle-born from Sunnydale, California," he informed her.

            "She's from the Hellmouth?  So I guess she's starting from scratch.  Who's the other?" Senna asked.

            "There are two others, but only one needs tutoring.  Jordan and Aidan Firewell are twins from Katsmorn, Montana and they attended Cristallon in Washington State.  Miss Firewell missed four months of school due to circumstances pertaining to the destruction of the Hellmouth in Sunnydale," Dumbledore said.

            Senna froze in front of the door to Dumbledore's office and her grip on her bags tightened.  She stopped breathing for a second and her face became a deathly white.

            "Firewell?  There are Firewells now attending this school?" her voice wavered ever so slightly when she mentioned the name.

            "Yes, is there a problem with that?" Dumbledore was confused by her reaction.

            "Erm...no...it's just they're the children of Aurors and I am the daughter of a Death Eater," she replied.

            "I assure you they will not know that and if they did I am sure they would not care," Dumbledore laid a hand on her shoulder as he spoke.

            "Well, let us go down to breakfast and you can meet them.  There are many things we will have to explain to you and some of them could do it better than I," he said.

***********************************************************************************************

            "I'm starting Defense Against the Dark Arts today.  I guess the teacher got here this morning," Dawn remarked as she looked at her summer schedule.

            Harry stirred his porridge around absentmindedly.  He had barely gotten any sleep last night.  Constant flashbacks of that dreadful night at the Ministry and Sirius falling through the veil invaded his dreams.  That wasn't the only thing he dreamt.  He dreamt of Sirius being trapped in some awful dark, cold place full of everything you've ever feared in life and then some.  He heard Sirius crying out to him for help; crying out to deliver him out of that darkness.  Harry had awoken clutching his sheets and with hat, salty tears sliding down his cheeks.  Those dreams hardened his determination to bring him back.  Then if he could bring Sirius back he could bring back his parents.  

            "Harry?" Dawn's voice broke this his thoughts.

            "What?" he replied.

            "Are you okay?  You seem kinda tired," she remarked.

            "Um, I'm fine.  Just didn't get much sleep last night, but that's not unusual," he said dryly.

            "Oh.  Bad dreams?" Dawn asked softly.

            Harry nodded wearily.  

            "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked.

            "Not really.  They were just bad dreams.  Nothing serious," Harry assured her putting on a smile.

            Dawn was about to say more when Jordan came jogging to the table.  She had been running on Hogwarts grounds since five in the morning and her clothes were soaked.  Her hair dripped icy rain water down her front and back.  But it didn't seem to phase her.  Dawn stared at her in horror.

            "Aren't you cold?!" she exclaimed.

            "What?" Jordan looked down at herself confusedly.  "Oh.  I grew up in the mountains of Montana Dawn, it gets pretty damn cold there so I'm used to it.  Besides I like the rain; it's refreshing.  Oh muffins!" she grabbed one and stuffed it into her mouth while taking a seat.

            "Where's Aidan?" Dawn asked for she rarely saw one twin without the other lately unless Jordan was in classes.

            "Sleeping.  Unlike yours truly he is not a morning person.  He would probably sleep until one in the afternoon if no one woke him," Jordan said between mouthfuls of breakfast

"So, got any idea who's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Dawn asked Harry.

"Not a clue.  Bloke named Quirrell taught us in my first year and he turned out to be evil.  Then we get a complete prat named Gilderoy Lockhart for my second year and he obliviated himself so now he's at St. Mungo's," Harry ticked the past DADA teachers he had had off on his fingers not noticing Dawn's blank expression.

"Memory wipe; Aurors do that all the time to Muggles and stuff," she told her.  "You had Gilderoy Lockhart for a teacher?" she stared at Harry skeptically.

"Yeah, and a right lousy one at that.  He erased the memories of all those people that did all those things and took credit for their work just so his books would sell better.  When Ron and I found out he tried to erase our memories, but Ron's wand was broken so it backfired and hit him instead," Harry explained.

"I knew it!  I read his books and I just knew he couldn't have done all that stuff!  My friend, Tatem, called me a nutcase cuz she's in love with him.  Heh I can't wait to tell her this," Jordan clapped her hands together in glee and smiled maliciously.

Hermione and Ron joined them at the table and their plates instantly filled with food.  

"Morning.  I hear the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is here today," she greeted and then she frowned when she noticed Jordan's appearance.  "What on earth?  Were you out there in the rain?"

Jordan nodded.  "Since five, but it wasn't raining then.  I always like to take jogs in the morning.  I used to do it all the time at home and the area around Hogwarts looks a lot like our land.  I think I'll like it here."

"In the words of my mum, 'you'll catch your death out there,'" Ron gibed.  "Harry I was thinking that while all the slayers trained we could get Aidan to train you and me.  I know we can't actually train with the slayers cuz they'd probably accidentally kill us.  Can't let the girls have all the fun now can we?" 

Ron, of course, didn't care about learning to fight as much as watching the slayers train, or more specifically one slayer train in spandex.  He had some rather pleasant dreams of Hermione in her blue training outfit last night.      

Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully.  There were so many things he wanted to accomplish before school started back up, which was in less than two months.  He still had to ask McGonagall if he could be let back onto the Quidditch team, figure out the situation with his Occlumency lessons, and he also wanted to research a bit more on Wiccan magic and bringing people back from the dead.  He was nowhere near the point of having enough courage to ask Willow about it.

"How about this evening we do it?  I'll talk to Buffy.  Don't worry, she's used to having to train with people who lack the super strength and all that.  But I can help train you guys," Dawn suggested.

"I'm in," Harry said instantly picturing Dawn in a training suit.  

He caught Jordan's eyes which were gleaming with mirth and she didn't even try to mask the smirk on her face.  She pantomimed firing an arrow from a longbow directed at Dawn and winked.  Harry's face soon rivaled that of Ron's when he was embarrassed.  Luckily everyone's attention was turned to Dumbledore who had just entered the hall flanked by a weary-looking young woman.

"Who's that?" Dawn asked.

"Must be the new DADA professor," Ron replied.

The two adults came directly to their table.  The frail woman hugged herself as she walked towards the teens.  It was plain to see she was more than a little nervous.

"Good Morning Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Summers, Miss Granger, and Miss Firewell.  I would like for you to meet your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Pennison," he smiled and nudged the woman forward.

Hermione smiled warmly at her seeing that this new teacher of theirs was a bit on the shy side.  Professor Pennison's whole body wreaked of tension and anxiety it seemed to the clever Gryffindor that she might have a panic attack at any moment.  _I do hope this is only first day nervousness.  The Slytherins would eat the poor lady alive._

"Hello, I'm Hermione.  This is Ron and Harry, although I'm quite sure you know who he is already.  That's Dawn and Jordan from the U.S.A.  Ron's sister, Ginny, and Jordan's brother, Aidan, are here too, but they're still in the dorms," Hermione said to her.

"Hello.  It's nice to meet you all," Professor Pennison said quietly.

_Am I going crazy or is she purposely trying not to look at Jordan?_  Hermione noticed that whenever the woman's gaze would turn towards where Jordan sat she would instantly divert her eyes or look past the girl.  Her slayer eyes seemed to catch every little insignificant detail now and Hermione was already very detail-oriented.  Her thoughts were interrupted by Buffy's cheery greeting.    

"Hey guys.  Hermione you all ready for another fun-filled day of stabbing, punching, kicking, and.....?" Buffy and Faith had just entered the dining hall for breakfast and walked over to say good morning.  They hadn't noticed that Dumbledore had a newcomer with him.

Professor Pennison's face switched from anxious to confused and she looked at Professor Dumbledore for answers.  

"I told you I would have it all explained.  Melissa, this is Buffy Summers and Faith.  They are the Slayers," he replied.

Pennison's eyes widened considerably.  "Slayers?  As in Vampire Slayers?"

"Yep, only we don't just slay vamps right B?  We just laid the smackdown supreme on one of the biggest bads of them all, which is why there's more than just us two now," Faith said.

"More than just the two of you?  Are you saying there are more slayers now?" Pennison asked.

"Yeah, it's a long story.  We shoulda just tape-recorded the first explanation cuz it's getting kinda irritating to tell it over and over," Buffy sighed in resignation.

"Well, I'll just let you take the reigns B cuz you're way better at explaining than me.  I'll get the girls rounded up.  Coming Hermione?" Faith tapped Hermione's shoulder.

"I suppose," Hermione replied reluctantly.  It wasn't that she didn't like training, but she still was very unsure of herself and her abilities.

"Um, Faith?  May I come too?  I've got pretty much nothing else to do and I thought it might be interesting to see more slayers fight," Ron asked hopefully.  

Harry and Dawn rolled their eyes.  Jordan was shaking with silent laughter.  Faith crossed her arms and her eyes   darted from the tall redhead to Buffy who just shrugged.

The dark-haired slayer grinned.  "Sure kid, but if you get kicked in the balls or thrown out a window cuz they think you've been staring at their asses don't blame me.  You watch at your own risk."

            Ron gulped and the tips of his ears reddened, but he followed the two slayers nonetheless.  Harry had a slight desire to follow, but the memory of his dream quelled it.  He had more important things to do today.

***********************************************************************************************

"Hey girls, this is Ron Weasley.  He's goin to watch us do our stuff today and go easy on him if his eyes linger cuz he's a guy, you know," Faith announced to the group of slayers.  

A lot of them giggled and whispered to each other as they looked towards the handsome redhead.  Hermione felt flame of jealousy, but quickly doused it when she realized she couldn't blame them.  Ron had really become quite the looker.

            "Oh thank God.  I thought I was going to be the only guy in here," Xander said as he sat down the numerous sparring weapons and came over to sit by Ron.

            "What are you doing in here?" Ron asked.

            "Nothing much else to do.  Will and I are leaving tomorrow with Giles to go find more slayers.  Giles would be in here since he is an official watcher and all, but he's in LA at Wolfram and Hart going over watcher stuff with Wesley.  He's going to be joining us.  It's really weird seeing Wes all non-Wesley or at least the way I remember him," Xander said thoughtfully not noticing that Ron had no idea what he was talking about.

            Ron just nodded politely and then he noticed that Xander had an eye patch.  He had noticed it before it just never crossed his mind at the moment to ask about it.  

            "What happened to your eye?" the young wizard asked.

            "Well, a psycho-preacher dude who was an agent of the First stuck his thumb in it and when I mean stuck it I really mean stuck it.  So now I'm basically a cyclops," Xander replied casually.

            "Oh, um that Caleb bloke.  Jordan told us about him.  She called him the First's Bitch," Ron said.

            "Pretty much," Xander nodded in agreement.  

            Silence followed on the two males's part as they watched the slayers train.  Faith mostly worked with Hermione since the other girls had been training for a while and knew the drill.  Ron didn't even notice any of the other girls because his eyes were completely fastened to his best friend as she performed complicated, but extremely graceful moves.  She looked especially pretty with her thick, curly, brown hair pulled up into a messy ponytail while strands that had come loose spilled over her face and brushed against her eyes.  Hermione kept brushing them away to no avail.  Ron was fighting the urge to walk over and brush them away himself.

            "She your girlfriend?" Xander asked when it came to his attention that this teenage boy had not bothered to give all the other scantily-clad girls a stare.

            "What?  Oh no, she's just my friend," Ron said quickly wishing very much that it was otherwise.

            "Okay, but you do know that the way you were staring at her was anything but the normal friendly way?" Xander said.

            Ron would have retorted, but he couldn't think of anything to say mostly because his thoughts revolved around Hermione.  Was he really that obvious?  And if he was how come Hermione didn't say anything?  She tended to notice everything.

            "Does she know how you feel?" Xander asked.

            "No, or I don't think so.  She's really smart," Ron looked at Hermione again wistfully.

            "Then why don't you just tell her?" Xander inquired.

            "Cuz she's my friend and what if she doesn't feel the same way?  What if it ruins our friendship?  What if she still likes Krum?" Ron rambled on and on with excuses until Xander put a hand on his shoulder.

            He sighed and Ron detected faint sadness behind it.  "Listen Ron, I'm gonna give you some good advice.  If you really feel about her the way don't waste any time.  Believe me, I had a chance to marry the most wonderful and unique woman I ever knew, but I chickened out.  Now I'll never get the chance to marry her like I wanted."

            "Why not?" Ron asked.

            "She was killed in that battle at the Hellmouth.  She died saving someone else's life so she died a hero, but it doesn't change the fact that she's gone.  And now I'm left here grieving what could have been, but never will be.  It's...the worst pain I've ever felt.  But what hurts most is thinking that maybe if we had gotten married things would have been different, like she would be alive right now somehow.  It's awful man and I'd hate to see someone else go through it.  God knows I've seen enough of it to last me like three lifetimes.  I didn't seize the moment man and now I'm paying the price.  So don't make the same mistake I did," Xander's eye started to tear up a bit so he wiped it with his sleeve.

            Ron didn't reply, but looked down at his lap as he pondered over Xander's words.  Then he looked up with a look of determination in his face.

            "You're right.  I'm going to talk to her at lunch," he said to Xander.

            Xander clapped the boy on the back and smiled.  "Good man."  He sat back and put his hands behind his head.  "Well, my good deed is done for the day."

            Buffy arrived about an hour after the slayers had started their training and soon Faith called for a lunch break.  This was Ron's cue to approach Hermione, but his feet suddenly became nailed to the floor and he stayed right where he was.  A lot of the girls filed out of the room chattering away and following Buffy and Faith to the dining hall.  Hermione was talking to two other girls in a corner.  Xander saw that the boy was getting cold feet so he hoisted Ron to his feet and nudged him towards the girls' direction with encouraging words.

            "Seize the moment."

            Ron repeated that over and over in his mind as he walked towards the three girls.  Hermione noticed him and smiled as she beckoned him over.

            "Ron, this is Vi and Rona," she gestured to the pale redhead and the black girl.

            "Erm...hello," he croaked in reply finding his voice had temporarily deserted him and left him to his own devices.

            "Hey.  So you're a wizard?  How's that working our for ya?" the black girl, Rona, asked.

            "Er...alright I guess," he said uncertainly.  

            Vi, however, seemed to notice that the boy came over for Hermione and Hermione only so she grabbed Rona's arm and led her towards the doorway.

            "We'll see you later Hermione.  Nice meetin ya Ron," she said over her shoulder.

            "So I presume you enjoyed the training session?" Hermione asked with her eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

            "Hm?" was Ron's response and then he shook his head.  "Oh, yes you were incredible."

            Hermione's face reddened at that.  She had felt his presence the entire time and it gave a good explanation for numerous shivers that invaded her spine and the goosebumps that had popped up everywhere.

            "Thanks.  To lunch then?" she asked.

            "Uh....I actually wanted to talk to you.  Alone," he said nervously.

            Hermione's brown eyes widened as a dozen theories zinged through her mind.  "What for?"

            "Not here.  How about we go to the Common Room?  I'm not really that hungry," he laughed nervously.

            "Alright," she said breathlessly.

            They quickly walked to the Common Room and when they entered both were equally disappointed to hear laughter coming from it.  They found Aidan and Ginny sitting on the couch.  Ginny was doubled over in laughter and Aidan was also laughing quite a bit.

            "And she wouldn't come to another class until they were finished the unit on flobberworms.  I don't care for them too much myself, only it's because to me they're really boring.  I'd much rather study dragons, but the professor said they were too dangerous," Aidan told her.

            "My brother Charlie works with dragons in Romania.  He's always been fascinated with them," Ginny replied after she finally stopped laughing.

            "Gin?  Aidan?  Why aren't you guys at lunch?" Ron asked irritably.

            "Oh hi!  Aidan and I have been talking all morning.  Is it lunchtime already?" Ginny turned to look at the grandfather clock in the room and sure enough the big hand pointed to the word lunch.

            "Gee time flies.  I should probably see if Jordan managed to survive another Transfiguration class," Aidan stretched as he stood up.

            "Yeah and I am a bit hungry," Ginny said.

            "Yes, you should go and eat lunch.  What would Mum think if I let you go without lunch?" Ron came forward and pushed his sister towards the entrance.

            "Alright Ron I'm going.  Don't be so pushy!" she retorted.

            After Ginny and Aidan left Hermione smiled at Ron.  

            "They seemed rather chummy," she remarked.

            Ron frowned.  "Were they flirting?"

            Hermione rolled her eyes.  "Honestly Ron!  Ginny's fifteen and she's already going with Dean anyway."

            Ron scowled at the mention of his sister's boyfriend's name.  It wasn't that he didn't like Dean it was more the fact that he was sort of obligated to dislike any boy that dated his sister.  But Ginny's love life was not the thing he wanted to discuss with Hermione at the moment.

            "Erm...Hermione I've been thinking a lot lately," Ron began while pacing in front of the couch where Hermione sat.

            "About?" she asked.

            "Well, we've been friends ever since school began," he said.

            "I wouldn't go so far as that.  We didn't actually become friends until later in our first year," Hermione recalled.

            "Well, if you want to get technical," Ron said slightly annoyed that she brought that up.

            "I'm sorry.  Go on," she encouraged.

            "Oh bloody hell here it comes," he muttered running his hands through his hair and he turned to Hermione (and he was grateful that she didn't scold him for swearing).  "I think...no, I know...I'm falling in love with you."

            He said it so fast that Hermione wasn't quite sure she heard all of it.  But she could have sword Ron had just told her he was in love with her.

            "Come again?" she whispered just loud enough for Ron to hear not trusting her voice entirely.

            Ron repeated it again only more slower and more confidently.  "I love you.  As more than just a friend Hermione."

            Her heart palpitated and she closed her eyes to hide the tears of joy that were about to fall.  This couldn't be happening.  This was much too good to be true.

            Ron sat down beside her and put his arm around her.

            "It's alright if you don't feel the same way.  I just needed to tell you," he said softly.

            Hermione sniffed and looked at him through wet eyes.  "Oh Ron!  You're such an idiot!" she laughed and pulled him forward to kiss him.

            This maneuver was so completely unexpected; so unlike the Hermione he knew that he actually pulled away.  He then slapped himself in the forehead for doing it.

            "So, you do feel the same way?" he asked hopefully.

            "Of course.  I love you Ron," she said her eyes shining with joy.

            "What about Krum?" he asked.

            "Who?  Oh Victor, well we were never more than just friends Ron.  He may have wanted more, but my heart belonged to someone else," she put her hand to his cheek and smiled contentedly.

            "Oh.  So do I have to fight with him for your affections too?" Ron joked.

            "I think you just might have to.  But not right now," she said slyly before pulling him forward to kiss him again.

            They never went to lunch.

***********************************************************************************************

Before you get any ideas know that Hermione is much too sensible to go further than making out just yet.  Ron, I'm not so sure lol.  They just make out!  I feel I should say that before I get flamed for it.  I'm not sure on how my writing on this sort of stuff is.  So forgive me if it's not that great.  


	20. Chapter Twenty

I am so sorry and I won't bother with excuses about how late this is.  I will try not to let it happen again.  

This chapter is dedicated to two people.  To my pal Sheeti who just celebrated her sweet sixteenth birthday (hmm just like Harry)!  Happy birthday!  Watch for frogs!  (inside joke don't ask) Also to my blonde haired, blue eyed little angel who would be my baby brother Brian who had his second birthday.  I love you sweetie and I miss you lots!  

Thanks a bunch to my reviewers and Matthew for putting up with me.  LOL.  This one is dedicated to you too.  

**dancetdplc: **Actually I didn't think about the response I was going for lol.  A mystery works.  Yeah Xander's story was depressing.  I need to get him a g/f.  Got any ideas?  And don't worry about reviewing late.  I mean look how late I posted this.

**vampy the chosen one: **Hope this cures the antsyness (is that a word?).  Glad you like the story and the interaction between Ron and Hermione.  As for Sirius coming back I am undecided on that and I have become a fan of Buffy/Sirius stories myself.  So that is still on the drawing board.

**matt: **Hehe.  That's funny.  I'm sure one of the boys will suggest that.  Actually it sounds like fun now that I think of it.  I'm glad you liked the new characters and I hope your poor male brain can hang on lol.  And the review things were getting all screwed up as I'm sure you have noticed so no worries.

**Botticelli'sVenus: **Thanks for the address.  I'll post it after I'm done replying.  Well Ginny and Dean will break up, but not for a while and she and Draco won't get together cuz I just can't see that happening.  Yes I was planning on having Professor Binns talk about The Key.  Can't wait to write that one and as for Spike and Draco jokes maybe.  They seem a bit overdone to me, but I will probably fit a few in there.

Thanks also to **becks89**, **ScruffyWes** (hope you like how I'm keeping Wes at Hogwarts for you), **matthew**, **Tiger Tiger2**, **Jessie6390**, and **blondi gurl **for reviewing.

As for Angel petitions: tvtome.com (submitted by Matthew) and w.kswbtv.com, scroll down and there will be a link (submitted by **Botticelli'sVenus**).  I'm sure you've already found some, but just in case.  Enjoy!

BTW I borrowed some quotes from Buffy episode Tough Love in Season Five.  So those aren't mine, they belong to whomever wrote them which I think her name is Rebecca Kirshner.

***********************************************************************************************

            Birthdays.  To most people (younger than 25 because then they just lament about their approach to the age of 30) it is a happy occasion.  Filled with presents, cake, friends, family, presents, the wisdom granted to one after growing a year older, and presents.  Harry Potter had never looked upon his birthdays with excitement or glee because he was always stuck at the Dursleys' and, well, that's pretty self-explanatory.  For the past couple of birthdays he had been sent presents, cards, and even a cake, but he was always alone with that dratted Muggle family of his.  He had never had a birthday party.  Hell he had never even seen one that he could remember besides his cousin Dudley's parties.  And those were anything but joyous occasions for Harry.  

            It was July 31; his sixteenth birthday and Harry had barely even noticed so wrapped up in his own thoughts he was.  But luckily for him Hermione did.  A week before his birthday she had brought everyone (minus Harry who was busy flying on the pitch), including the teachers (except for Snape) and the slayers to plan a surprise party for him.  She was hoping it would expel the melancholy aura that was forever surrounding the boy.  Everyone agreed it was a good idea and now on the day of the party they found themselves at the mercies of the young Gryffindor witch.  She was one demanding planner and some were seriously regretting agreeing to the plan.  

            "Miss Hermione?  I has brought all the cakes and food miss.  Dobby can't wait to see the look on Harry Potter's face," a house elf chirped.

            Hermione sighed.  She knew that Ron had gone down to request the assistance of the house elves since they were all angry and terrified at the same time of herself.  _Honestly you knit a bit of socks for them_....  She put on a brave smile and thanked Dobby who beamed with pride.  She was rather fond of Dobby.  He was the only house elf that didn't run the other way when she approached and he was a sensible creature having Dumbledore pay him for his services and everything.  Despite her newly received duties as a slayer she still planned on continuing with the S.P.E.W. stuff no matter how it annoyed Ron.  Besides, he looked really good when he was angry.  As usual a silly grin spread over her face when she thought of her boyfriend.  Her boyfriend.  Wow, there was one thing Hermione never thought she would be calling Ron.  Ever since they had proclaimed their feelings for one another it would have taken the jaws of life (literally in her case) to separate them.  Everyone else was very happy for them.  Especially Ginny, she had thought it was about time Ron told her how he felt it about as it had become quite annoying to hear him talk about her all the time.  

            "Ah Hermione dear, this is a lovely idea.  And it is such a relief to be out of the house."  Mrs. Weasley draped an arm over her son's girlfriend.  She, like her daughter, had been almost relieved when Ron finally confessed his love for Hermione to her and didn't think he could have found a better suitor.  Her husband liked it even better because Hermione was Muggle-born.

            "And you don't have to do any cooking Mrs. Weasley," Hermione reminded the woman lest she forget and make her way to the kitchens out of habit.

            "Oh yes.  It's always enjoyable to watch someone else do all the work for a change," the older woman agreed nodding her head.

            "But it won't taste the same dear.  I love your cooking," Mr. Weasley piped up from behind.

            "You obviously don't seem to mind this cooking either Arthur.  Wait until the party starts!" his wife admonished as he attempted to snatch a cookie off a platter and one already in his mouth.  He instantly drew his hand back.

            Hermione asked to be excused as she walked over to where Jordan was setting the last of the presents on the table.  The pile was quite large and she couldn't wait to see the look on Harry's face when he saw it.  After all this had to be more presents than he had ever gotten from his past birthdays combined.

            "I think that's the last of them," her fellow slayer reported.

            "I can't believe the rest of the slayers all got him something," Hermione said.

            "Well, they had nothing better to do while in Hogsmeade so I figured they could get him something.  I mean we are all protecting him so a lot of us got him weapons.  Oh the advantages of dipping into Council funds." Jordan smiled mischievously and picked up Fred and George's presents to Harry.

            "Oh dear we're going to have to be careful with those.  Never know what they've come up with especially now that they have a whole shop's worth," the Gryffindor shook her head.  She understood Mrs. Weasley's disappointment in her sons.  Such a waste of brilliance being spent on cheap tricks.

            "I think it's bloody awesome." Jordan had loved that shop and sent a lot of their products to her friends back in the States.  Her fellow slayer, Vi, had loved it even more being a Muggle and all.  Of course Vi was probably more interested in the twins themselves.

            Hermione smirked and crossed her arms.  "You're starting to sound like us." 

            "I know.  Cool isn't it?  Give me a few months and I'll be completely Englishized," Jordan replied grinning.  

            "So where are those two?" Hermione asked nervously.

            "Entertaining the other slayers.  I believe one of them said something about handing out candy that caused all girls' clothes to miraculously disappear," Jordan said thoughtfully.  She bit her tongue to keep from laughing at Hermione's expression.

            "I do hope you're joking," Hermione said her brown eyes flickering in distaste.

            "I am, but I wouldn't put it past them." Jordan shrugged and walked towards where the Weasley twins were showing off their latest inventions of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.  

            _Now even more of a reason never to accept anything from those two._  Hermione watched as the girls clapped and laughed at the antics of the identical redheads.  Fred and George were not the typical hot guys, or guy seeing as how they were identical.  But they possessed a quirky charm and witty sense of humor and other such endearing qualities that made them a hit  with just about every girl they met.

            "They are making quite a bit of noise.  I hope Harry won't hear," Hermione murmured.

            "He's in the library and Dawn is keeping him sufficiently distracted believe me," Jordan assured her.           

            "He's been in there quite a lot lately.  I wonder why.  He's never spent so much time in there before." Hermione's voice was full of concern for her friend.  

            Jordan kept silent although she had a pretty good hunch about why Harry was in the library so much.  Instead of actually going to find out she preferred to remain ignorant.  Their little conversation in there weeks ago had unnerved her a great deal.  She just hoped that Harry wasn't getting his hopes up about his newfound quest.         

***********************************************************************************************

            "You know if you lived in my country and were a Muggle of course you'd be able to drive now that you're 16," Dawn told him.

            "I don't think cars and I go well together," Harry replied remembering Mr. Weasley's flying car.

            "How come?" Dawn asked curiously.

            "Well, I just don't care for cars that much and one of the last cars I was in was a flying car that Ron and I had to use to get to Hogwarts in our second year.  Bloody stupid of us it was, but we were 12 at the time.  It crashed into a Whomping Willow and I think it's still running wild in the Forbidden Forest." Harry grimaced when he recalled the branches of that tree just crashing down onto the hood of the car nearly smashing him and Ron to bits.

            "Whoa.  A flying car.  Damn I gotta get me one of those," Dawn said in awe.

            "Are you planning on learning to drive?" Harry asked.

            "Well, yeah I guess.  Even though I'm a witch now I still have to interact with the Muggle world and I do want to be a watcher, so I do plan on learning," Dawn said.

            Dawn had asked for Harry's company in the library in order to help her with some History of Magic homework.  In reality she had lured him there to keep him from the rest of the castle while everyone prepared for his surprise party.  There were two ulterior motives to her actions.  One: she was feeling particularly lazy and didn't feel like decorating or anything like that.  Two: she wanted to spend some time with Harry; alone.  Her books and parchment lay on the desk untouched so far.  

            "You want to be a watcher?" Harry said clearly surprised.

            "Yeah.  It's not as boring as it seems.  But I had to do lots of research back in Sunnydale and I helped Giles out quite a bit with it.  I know a bit of Latin and Sumerian and some other old languages and I know lots of names of ancient talismans, cursed relics, and demon types.  I mean, it's not like I chose to do that, I wanted to do the physical work along side Buffy, but she wouldn't let me until just recently," Dawn said.

            Harry managed a feeble smile and thought about his own aspirations to become an Auror.  Their O.W.L.s had arrived and he was relieved to find he had gotten at least an A in all the subjects he needed for that career although a small part of him wished he had flunked Potions just so he wouldn't have to endure Snape for another two years.  Ron had managed to scrape a couple for himself and Hermione got "Outstanding" in everything as expected.  

            "So what have you been doing in here for the past couple of weeks.  You don't seem to be the bookish type," Dawn remarked.

            Harry fidgeted in his seat.  "Oh well...you see...I erm...have been researching some non-school stuff."

            For a minute there Harry strongly resembled this boy Dawn once knew who had been sneaking porn into the school library and selling it.  _Did the wizard world have porn?_  She then mentally slapped herself for thinking of it.  These were people whose fashion sense went as far as what color robe they were wearing to Dawn's fashion savvy mind.  She had recently gotten all her robes moderated for her House with the Serpent crest badge and the normal green and silver accoutrements.  Okay so the Slytherin house was sort of evil, but they had pretty colors.  Although the red and gold of Gryffindor were pretty nifty looking too.

            "Like what?  Demon stuff?  If it's demon stuff I could help," Dawn offered.

            Harry sighed and shook his head.  Maybe he could ask Dawn about how Willow brought Buffy back.  He was getting practically nowhere with his current research.  There wasn't much in Hogwarts on Wiccan magic and what little there was didn't mention resurrection spells at all.

            "I was trying to find more on spells for resurrections.  When you told me it was possible, that Willow had brought your sister back I just had to find out more.  Dumbledore told me it couldn't be done, but it can and I...." he trailed off uncertainly.

            Dawn's heart plummeted.  This poor guy had been looking for a way to bring his godfather back apparently.  She sighed sadly and pulled her chair closer to him and forced him to face her.  It would be painful for her to tell him this and painful for her to get it out.  But it was best just to get it out and over with before it got worse.

            "Were you looking for a way to bring your godfather back?  Or your parents?" she probed softly.

            "Well, I wager it'd be too late for my parents.  I mean it's been fifteen years, but Sirius has only been dead for two months.  Do you think Willow could do it?  I mean, do you think she would?" His emerald eyes looked so hopeful that Dawn just wanted to tell him yes.

            "Harry, I hate to tell you this and I'm really sorry, but odds are she won't.  And the only reason Buffy was able to come back was because she died by jumping into a mystical portal which makes that a mystical death and sort of puts a little loophole in the whole magic can't mess with the laws of life and death.  And not only that but Buffy didn't come back like they thought she would." Dawn put her hand to her forehead as the memory of her finding her sister on that rickety tower two years ago flitted through her mind.  

            "What do you mean?" he asked.

            "If I tell you this, know it's only because I'm doing it for your own good and I'd hate to see someone else go through that much suffering and I know you wouldn't want it for your godfather." Dawn had hoped that she could tell Harry this without technically telling him, unfortunately he wasn't that intuitive because he was staring at her expectantly.

            "The reason Willow brought her back was because they thought she had been in hell, but she wasn't Harry.  She was in heaven and they ripped her out of there.  She was at peace finally after so much sacrifice and fighting and then she wasn't.  Next thing she knew she was back in her coffin six feet under and she had to dig her way out, literally.  I found her at the place where she had jumped and she looked so confused and scared and lost.  Her hands, they were so bloody and torn and she was covered in dirt.  Of course I didn't take notice much at the time because I had my sister back, but I remember it now.  And for almost a year she was just...not Buffy...it was like she had lost her will to live and couldn't feel anything." Dawn had almost forgotten she had an audience as she became caught up in that painful part of the past.  She barely even noticed when Harry had taken a hold of her hand.

            He couldn't think of anything to say.  He had opened his mouth to impart words of comfort, but nothing would come out so he had grasped her hand and squeezed it instead.  If this was painful for Dawn then he couldn't imagine what it must be like for Buffy.  Or Willow, the one who was responsible.  

            Dawn continued, "I know how you feel.  When my mom died I tried to bring her back.  I just couldn't handle living without her and so I went to this demon guy who gave me a spell and told me how to get ingredients and I did it.  I think the spell actually worked, but I tore up her picture, which got rid of what came back cuz it wouldn't have been my mom.  She had died because of a brain tumor so bringing her back would be like going into zombie territory and I think I knew that, but I didn't want to believe it."

            Harry closed his eyes as his last shimmer of hope dissolved and left in its place a feeling of grief so overwhelming that he thought it would crush him.  He put his free hand to his eyes to hide his coming tears.  Dawn looked upon him with empathy.

            "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked.

            Harry had spent the last two months so isolated from everyone that he feared once he let the wall down on his emotions he wouldn't be able to stop.  But the notion of getting it all off his chest was extremely appealing.  So he broke down and told Dawn everything.  He told this girl whom he had known for little over a month what invaded his dreams at night, how he had watched Sirius fall through the veil and how it was all his fault that Sirius had come to the ministry.  He told of the connection he and Voldemort had because of that curse that Harry managed to survive when so many more deserving people had been killed because of it and that it was that the dark lord was able to penetrate his thoughts and had sent him a false vision of Sirius getting tortured so Harry would bravely come to the rescue like a good little Gryffindor and fall right into his trap.  Harry had been so sure that it was real because of the last vision of Mr. Weasley getting tortured.  

            "Sirius came to save me and he was killed because of it.  Not only that, but Hermione, Ron, Luna, Neville, Ginny, they were all almost killed because of me.  People kept getting hurt because of me," Harry lamented.

            _"I'm like a lightning rod for pain and hurt and everyone around me suffers and dies."_

Dawn had heard this song before once by her own words and she felt even closer to Harry than before.

            "It's all my fault," he said miserably.

            _"It's all my fault."_

            "No, it's not.  Did you ask to be put in this position?  Did you ask for Voldemort to target you and give you that scar and some of his traits?  Why wouldn't you have thought he was torturing Sirius if the first vision of him torturing Ron and Ginny's dad was true?  You couldn't have known that Voldemort was laying a trap.  I mean, I would have done the same thing if in your shoes.  I know Buffy would have.  You're just the victim of circumstance Harry," Dawn said to him as comfort.

            Harry's green eyes were reddened from tears and he managed to bring his gaze up to meet Dawn's.  She was looking at him not in pity, but in empathy and understanding.  Good.  He didn't want pity.  

            "You sound like Dumbledore sometimes," he said.

            Dawn smiled.  "Well, let's just say your situation is not so different than what mine once was."

            Harry looked at her questioningly wondering what she meant by that.  Dawn meanwhile was aching to tell him of her own past, but that would mean telling him about her being The Key and she couldn't do that.  Not yet anyway.  Telling him about Buffy was stretching it already.

            "Well, for what it's worth.  Thank you.  I mean, for telling me," Harry said.

            "No problem.  It's always good to vent," she replied.

            He smiled and grasped her hand again bringing it slowly to his mouth to plant a chaste kiss.  Dawn blushed, but didn't pull her hand away.  He inhaled the sweet aroma of Dawn's perfume and just let it surround him for a moment before reluctantly letting her hand drop.  He had really wanted to be kissing her lips, but he feared what her reaction would be.  He didn't even know if she _liked_ him that way.

            "You're sweet and really smart.  Be careful, don't wanna make Hermione jealous," he said hastily.

            Dawn looked at her hand in disappointment.  _Damn if only that had been my lips.  _She sighed and stood up and stretched while glancing at her watch which was flashing.  Hermione had laid a spell on her watch to flash when everything was ready.  

            "You know, I'm kinda hungry.  Wanna get some dinner?" she asked casually effectively masking her disappointment.  

            "Sure," Harry said following her out of the library.

            As soon as he stepped one foot inside the Dining Hall he was startled nearly out of his wits when over two dozen people jumped out of nowhere and shouted, "Surprise!" right in his face.  As soon as he recovered from his slight heart attack he noticed the decorations adorning the large room.  The House banners were all replaced with numerous banners saying, "HAPPY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY HARRY!" and ads for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes flashed randomly on every banner.

            Harry just stood there dumbfounded not fully comprehending what was going on.  Mrs. Weasley came over and pulled him into a tight motherly embrace.

            "Happy birthday Harry dear!" she cooed affectionately.

            After she let him go he took a couple of deep breaths and managed to eke out a couple of words.  

            "How?  What?  You.." 

            "Oh must be the wrong birthday mates, I think it was supposed to have been his third birthday," Fred joked.

            "Oh stop it!  And you ought to be ashamed putting your ads on his banners!  It's his day!" his mother scolded.

            "Mum, you and Dad put some banners up for Ginny," George pointed out.

            Harry and Dawn looked around and sure enough there were some banners that read, "Congratulations Ginny!".

            Mrs. Weasley ignored them and put an arm over Harry and steered him to a table with a huge birthday cake with blue icing on it.  

            "I hope you don't mind.  She's been made a prefect and I thought we could merge the parties," she told Harry her voice full of pride for her youngest child.

            "That's alright Mrs. Weasley.  I can't believe you all did this." There, he managed to get out a whole sentence.

            "It was all She-Giles' idea.  But we helped," Faith said.

            "Hey now, Hermione is much more of a Willow Junior," Buffy said.

            Hermione didn't comment on the nicknames but came over and hugged Harry.  

            "I wager it's about time you got to know what a real birthday party was like," she told him grinning from ear to ear.

            Mrs. Weasley lit the candles on the cake and Dawn made sure to remind Harry to make a wish before he blew out the candles.

            "And make sure you don't tell anyone or it won't come true," Buffy said.

            "And don't like whisper it out loud, cuz you never know if a vengeance demon might be lurking around." Harry laughed at that, but stopped when he noticed her serious expression.

            "Oh.  Right then."  Harry thought for a while and then the perfect wish came to him.  _I wish Sirius, Mum, and Dad were alright and at peace now and in no more pain; especially Sirius._  Then he blew all sixteen candles out in one breath.

            Dobby was given the honor of cutting the cake and serving Harry the first piece.  It was the most delicious thing Harry had ever tasted and he quickly indulged in seconds.  While eating his eyes kept straying over to the table topped with presents.  It wasn't as many presents as Dudley usually got, but it was more than Harry had ever gotten in his entire life.  After eating he was pulled from corner to corner and person to person to chat.

            "Blimey Harry.  I remember when you was just a wee little firs' year and now yer sixteen years old.  Course yeh haven' grown as much as Ron has," Hagrid said clapping him on the back.

            "We were gonna send you self-detonating dung bombs in the mail, but we figured we ought to be nice.  And mum woulda castrated us for sure," George gibed.

            Mrs. Weasley had made him a dark blue sweater with no design on the front this time.  Hagrid had gotten him some dragonskin boots that were a dark red.  Hermione, ever the practical gift giver, had bought him a homework organizer to fit into his bag.  The organizer would organize each assignment according to class, date, grade, and type.  As Ron was a little lacking in the cash area wanting to save his money to get nice things for Hermione he had to pool his money with his sister.  They got him a little miniature glass globe with Quidditch players zooming around in it and a poster book with Quidditch teams.  Aidan and Jordan had gotten him a broom case that was dark green leather and lined with black velvet.  His name was etched into a gold plate with a golden snitch between his first and last name.  Tonks and Lupin got him some books on defensive magic that had more curses, counter-curses, hexes, and jinxes that Harry had ever seen.  Dobby had made knitted him some more mismatched socks which had shooting stars all over them.  Dawn had gotten him a Muggle gift wanting to be a bit different from everyone else.  She had also "dipped" into Council funds and gotten him a portable cd player with a collection of cds of all different types of music since she didn't really know what he liked to listen to and a cd holder.

            "You'll have to charm it of course, but I figured I should get you something no one else would think to get you," she explained.

            When he opened Fred and George's gift a small explosion of yellow dust occurred and Harry spent the rest of the day with a face the color of a banana.  They had given him a lifetime discount on all their products at any location even though now it was just one.  A little thank you for being their benefactor.  Buffy and Faith along with Willow, Xander, and Giles had gotten him some weapons and self-defense tools.  Since he was pretty much holding the entire fate of the Wizarding World in his hands they thought it best he learn to protect himself and have the means to protect himself and that meant not just magically.  He had gotten brass knuckles, self-defense manuals, his own cross necklace (although much more masculine than the ones the slayers all wore), a dagger and a sheath in which to hide it on his leg, and a short silver sword.    "Wicked," Ron breathed.

            "Wow.  Thanks," he said very much overwhelmed at the gifts.

            "These aren't just for fun Harry.  These are for your protection.  You can't just rely on your wand," Buffy told him seriously.

            As for Ginny, she didn't get as much as Harry.  Just a brown and white owl from her parents for her new position as prefect.  She named her Hope.  Fred and George were already planning some pranks to play on her because it was just downright shameful to them that another sibling, their only sister at that, had managed to become a prefect.

Faith brought out a charmed stereo and soon the hall was filled with the sounds of hard rock.  She got right with the dancing and soon everyone's attention (more specifically every male's attention) was turned away from the birthday boy and onto the dark-haired slayer.  Some of the other slayers joined her and even Buffy got into the mix.  Dawn grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him out to dance.

            "What!  Dawn no!  I can't dance that well!" he protested.

            "Oh come on!  All you gotta do is just move to the music!  Come on it's fun!" she yelled.

            While the dancing was going on Jordan watched from the sidelines while half-listening to Andrew speak.  It was something about a comic book so he would talk for a while and she wouldn't need to say a thing.  She liked Andrew, he was weird and so dorky it was cute and he was a good Dungeons and Dragons player.  But normally she could only understand about every third word he said and when he got on the subject of anything with the words "star", "jedi", "spiderman", or "spock" then she was completely lost.

            "So you're a witch?  And you carry around magic wands? Isn't that kinda cliché?" he asked.

            "Huh?  Oh yeah I'm a witch.  Have been for quite some time," she answered absent-mindedly.

            Andrew didn't seem to notice that she wasn't paying much attention.  He looked around the Dining Hall.

            "This place is nice.  Really got the whole medieval Zelda thing going for it and I like the suits of armor.  They don't um walk around do they?" he asked nervously. 

            She shrugged.  She had yet to see the things walk around, but it wouldn't surprise her if they did.  She laughed softly to herself when she saw Vi drag one of the twins onto the dance floor (which was actually just a spot clear of tables in the Hall) while the other twin was surrounded by a whole gaggle of slayers.

            "I'm glad Mr. Wyndam-Pryce is letting me help him out with educating you guys about demons and stuff.  As a former summoner of demons I think I have a lot to offer you brave young soldiers," Andrew told her. 

            She raised her eyebrow and snorted.  Before he could retort she grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.

            "I'm bored!  Let's dance!" 

            "Uh, okay," he stammered uncertainly much too afraid to say otherwise.

            Just as Harry was getting the hang of this sort of dancing someone tapped him on the shoulder.  He saw that it was Lupin and the man was gesturing for him to come with him.  He excused himself and followed the man away from the activities.

            "I'm sorry to interrupt your fun there, but I didn't want to give this to you while everyone else was around," the former DADA teacher explained.

            "What is it?" Harry asked.

            "Well, it's not from me.  It's er from Sirius.  It's a letter for you entrusted to me to give to you on your birthday if something happened to him." Lupin held out a gray envelope with Harry's name written elegantly in black ink on it.

            Harry shakily took the envelope from Lupin's hand and just eyed it for the longest time torn between wanting to open it and wanting to discard it.  Lupin put laid his hand on the boy's shoulder.

            "Sirius would have wanted you to enjoy this day Harry and the rest of the days.  He loved you like a son and he wouldn't want you to grieve over him forever," the man said softly.

            Harry swallowed and nodded his head.  Lupin left him there clutching the envelope.  He had just managed to get all of his guilt and pain off of chest, well not all, but most of it.  This letter he held in his hand threatened to forge a whole new barrage of guilt and misery.  He opened it anyway deciding that if he didn't he would always be wondering what Sirius had had to say to him and that would drive him mad.

     _Harry,_

_            I did so hope to have a sudden burst of creativity and begin this letter without the usual "if you're reading this then I fear the worst has happened."  Well, this is the best I could come up with._

_  Either I am reading and laughing over this with you at the sappiness or I am no longer apart of the living.  Padfoot has gone to doggy heaven.  I hope.  Well, I hope I have gone to the normal people heaven and not doggy heaven.  I know that if that has, indeed, happened, I don't want you to be sad.  Well, of course you'll be sad.  That's a bloody stupid thing to say isn't it?  But don't be so sad that you feel like giving up.  And don't blame yourself.  None of what has happened in the past is your fault and none of what happens now is your fault.  You can't control everything and you can't save everyone.  I did my best with what I had and although I do regret some things I know that I have mostly done what was right.  I would die knowing I never succumbed to Voldemort and I never became what my family wanted me to be.  I am or was my own person.  _

_Keep fighting Harry.  Stay alive and please don't do anything rash.  I know I have often seemed like I wanted you to be more careless and reckless like your dad, but honestly I'm glad you're a bit more like your mum in that aspect.  And don't let that whole tiff with Snape and your dad years ago ruin your image of him.  Like I explained, he was a teenager and we are all undeniable prats at one time or another.  He really was a good man and you will be a good man one day like him.  I hope I shall be there to see you grow up because you are like a son to me Harry.  You have no idea how flattered and proud I was when James named me your godfather.  I am very proud of you and I know he and Lily are too._

_Take care of Ron and Hermione and let them in a little.  They're your friends.  They won't abandon you.  Take care of the Weasleys too because they're good people and the world needs more like them.  Take care of Moony.  He's the only one left of the Marauders now for we know Wormtail no longer counts.  And don't be mad at Dumbledore for withholding information.  The man has been alive for quite some time and he knows what he's doing._

_Well, if you will look into the rest of the contents of the envelope you should notice that I have my will in there and I have left everything to you.  My money, my house, my belongings; it's all yours now unless of course I'm still alive.  Use it well and hopefully when (yes I said when not if) Voldemort is defeated you can make the Black manor nice again and find some way to get rid of that dreaded portrait of that wench of a mother of mine. _

_ Don't let the Dursleys get to you, they are after all your only blood relatives left as far as we know.  But when you are of age I don't see any harm in giving your cousin Dudley another tail.    _

_Your loving godfather,_

_Sirius_

_P.S. If at all possible please give Wormtail a few good knocks for me.  Just don't kill him if you don't have to._

Even amidst the tears streaming down his face Harry managed to laugh a little.  He had kind of expected Sirius to leave some things for him, but he was sure a bit of it would have gone to Lupin.  He didn't care much for the money because his parents had left him more than enough of that.  But knowing he had a place to stay after he finally left the Dursleys sometime in the hopefully not-too-distant future made Harry very grateful and relieved.

"Harry?" 

Harry looked up and quickly wiped his face and saw Ginny standing before him.  

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Um yeah.  I just got a letter from Sirius." He gestured to the letter in his hand.

"Oh," was her somber reply.  

"He's really gone.  And he left everything to me," Harry whispered more to himself than to the small redhead in front of him.

"He did?" Ginny wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad about that.

"Yeah, not like I needed more money though." Harry smiled ironically.

"Well, at least you'll have a place to stay," she offered as comfort.

Harry nodded.

"Hey!  What are you guys doing over here in the corner?  The party is all about you two!" came Buffy's perky voice.

"Oh.  Nothing Buffy we were just taking a break is all," Harry quickly explained.

"Well come on Banana Face!  Can't have a birthday party without the birthday boy!" she grabbed the two by the hands and Harry scowled at the name she had given him.  What is it just him or did the short slayer seem a teensy inebriated?

"Hey your friends are back!" Ginny exclaimed pointing to the entrance to the Dining Hall.  

Buffy and Harry saw Xander, Willow, Giles, and Wesley flanked by Dumbledore and a couple of girls that they assumed were newfound slayers.  To Buffy's utter surprise Fred, Gunn, and Lorne came following them and Angel and who was that behind him?  She barely had time to process the information before Dawn's voice squealed, "Spike!"

***********************************************************************************************

*Laughs Evilly*  I'm awful aren't I?  I am pretty sure you won' t have to wait so long for the next chapter.

   


	21. Chapter Twentyone

The good news is this chapter is in.  The bad news is that I either broke or stoved (however you spell that) my left pinky finger and it has slightly slowed down my typing.  It hurts a lot, but that's nothing pain killers won't fix.  Oh and lots of reviews, that might help (hehe).  Once again major gratitude to my reviewers.  

**matt:** Oh god the terrible twos.  He is a good boy though, I wasn't kidding when I called him an angel.  Yeah, I liked Vi too, one of the only potentials I actually did like.  She'll have bigger parts in the story including a possible romance with one of the Weasley twins.  I hope you had a better week this week.    

**vampy the chosen one: **Clever, I like that.  Thanks.  All I can say about Sirius is it's still on the drawing board.  I'm sorta, well very, indecisive and my thoughts keep switching back and forth on that.  And Andrew is a geek, but an adorable geek.  And yes Xander getting a g/f will be a tricky thing to do.  But he's still in grief mode so I get to put that off.  

**trunkstheslayer: **Wow Matthew is that you?  Gee I never woulda guessed (sarcasm by the way) lol.  Mmmmmm Spike.  Got a quarter I can use?  

**love_orthelack_thereof: **First off I gotta commend you for the penname anonymous or not.  That's just cool and clever.  I'm flattered with the praise.  And don't die, but if you do Xander will bring you back cuz that's what he does.  

**SPASH Panther: **You'll see.

**Arienna: **Ah damn you made me blush and that's not good for my complexion.  Thanks so much and I'm glad you like it and the Firewell twins.  Hope to hear from you again.

**ScruffyWes: **Yeah Willow won't be making with the resurrection spells and you're right about the urn.  My little brother Damien just started reading the fifth book and I just know how disappointed he'll be when he reads that part.  I put myself in denial for a while of which my sister is still living in about Sirius.  Like I said above I'm still undecided on that issue.  Andrew rocks!

**TriquetraWarrior: **Yeah Spike was dead, but he came back on Angel.  The way he came back in this fic is canon in fashion mostly, but a little different.

Thanks also to: **gyver21**, **TTrunks**, **Silver Warrior**, **blondi gurl**, **Tiger Tiger2**, and **harmoni9**.

I did the borrowing quotes thing again with the Series Finale, Chosen.  So they're not mine.  

***********************************************************************************************

            An eerie quiet had descended upon the Dining Hall and everyone, even those who did not comprehend what was happening did not say a word.  Someone had silenced Faith's cd player to make the effect even more ominous.  Buffy had not moved from her spot.  Ginny and Harry looked at her anxiously watching a strange play of emotions run across her face and watching her breath slow down and then speed up erratically.  Then their attention went back to the group that had just walked in. 

            "See you all had a welcome-back party planned and everything," Spike quipped breaking the awkward silence.

            "Uh yeah, we thought we might just drop by and tell you one of your number is back from the dead," Lorne said laughing nervously.

            Dawn had her hand clapped over her mouth after shouting Spike's name.  She was afraid to say it again for fear of him disappearing.  She slowly walked up to the entrance and faced him.

            "Spike?  Is it really you?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

            The vampire looked down at himself and looked back at Dawn.  "I hope so."

            She launched herself into his arms and began sobbing.  Spike seemed a little confused and didn't know what to do at first, but he relaxed and wrapped his arms around the girl.

            "I'm kinda glad I joined this group now cuz it seems every time someone kicks it they come back," Faith remarked.

            "Well, that's not true cuz-Ow!" Andrew yelped in pain and rubbed his arm where Jordan had grabbed it and squeezed to shut him up.

            "Buffy?  Are you okay?" Willow asked cautiously.

            Buffy was still in a state of shock, but at the sound of her best friend's voice she snapped out of it.  Summoning some courage she walked up to Spike.  Dawn had disentangled herself from his arms and Xander had gently pulled her away so the renegade vampire stood right in front of the Slayer both their eyes locked on one another.  Everyone in the hall held their breath as Buffy tentatively reached out to touch him.  Her hand lightly brushed up against Spike's duster and she pulled it back assured that he was indeed solid and real.    

            "You son of a bitch," she whispered with a peculiar smile forming on her face and then she embraced him.

            He closed his eyes as he held her.  "Finally get you to hug me like this and all I needed to do was die."

            Buffy let him go and laughed.  "Shut up."

            An awkward silence followed on everyone's part before Spike spoke up.  "So, Peaches tells me you joined forces with the wand nutters.  I've snacked on a few of them myself back in the day.  Right tasty the magic makes their blood."

            Revulsion shown on just about everyone's face and every witch and wizard in the room fidgeted nervously in their spots when he said that.

            "Okay, one: don't talk about that in front of them and two: how did you get back?" Buffy said.

            "It was that soddin trinket you gave me.  Apparently Peaches was opening up a piece of mail in his shiny new CEO office in the law firm from hell and it fell out and then I came out of it," he explained matter-of-factly.

            "Actually it was more like you were being rematerialized out of your ashes.  Or like someone video-taped your fiery death and hit rewind oh and there was the screaming too," Lorne reminded before lifting a glass of butterbeer to his lips.

            "I got that amulet from Angel.  Who gave it to you?" Buffy turned to her former lover seeking for an answer.

            The tall vampire would have blushed guiltily if that had been possible in his undead state.  As it was he was only able to furrow his brow.  "Some woman gave it to me saying it would be helpful to your fight in Sunnydale." 

That was all he said and the stubborn slayer would have pressed for more of an answer, but right now she was more interested in Spike.  She wanted to ask if he had been in...she couldn't even think it.  Not after all he had suffered and sacrificed could she even fathom him suffering in hell like Angel had been.  He looked sane enough and definitely not savage and animal-like such as Angel had been on his return from hell.  Of course the middle of a Dining Hall amidst a party with almost complete strangers who probably were terribly confused by now was not the place to pursue that delicate subject.  

"How long have you been back?" Dawn asked having gotten hold of her wayward emotions.

            "Um....well...you see...I was a little unsure of how to confront you about this and..." Spike stammered.

Fred seeing that he had already given away that he had been back long enough to contact them before now stepped in.  "He's been back for a couple of weeks, but he didn't know how to tell you guys and he didn't want us to tell you yet. I mean, put yourself in his place, it wouldn't have been easy for you either."        

            "Well, it woulda been nice of you to drop us a line though," Buffy muttered with her familiar pout forming on her face.

            "I couldn't just call you up and say, 'Hey Buffy, guess what?  I'm alive!  Yeah, I'm not a pile of red dust at the bottom of the Hellmouth like you thought I was.  Let's get lunch.'" His voice was laced with sarcasm and the familiar cockiness that was somewhat comforting to hear for Buffy.

            By now Harry and his friends along with the other witches and wizards were lost and feeling a little out-of-place.  Although Tonks seemed to be happily unaware of what was going on concerning the vampire as she was engaged in a conversation with Willow.

            "I probably would have come soon even if they hadn't shone up toting the new slayers with them.  Don't know how much longer I could have stood in the presence of the Poofter," Spike mumbled and Angel's already ingrained scowl deepened.

            "Okay, will you cut that out already?  It's not like I wanted you around either," he retorted.

            They kept exchanging insults that were so commonplace to Fred, Gunn, and Lorne the three of them just sighed and rolled their eyes.

            "They'll tire of it eventually," Gunn assured everyone else his voice full of exasperation.  

            "I don't know.  You think we can get them to actual physical fighting?  Possibly with oil or mud added to the mix?  Or chocolate?" Faith suggested with a sinful grin upon her face.  

            Buffy and quite a few other girls couldn't help but smile and giggle at the visions that created.  Others were not so happy to hear it, however; particularly Xander.   

            "Thank you Faith.  I will never look at chocolate again as long as I live," he said as he disgustedly set down the piece of cake he had been eating.

            "Yeah, I tried that once.  Failed miserably," Jordan told him.

            When it seemed like the insult trading was about to turn violent Buffy placed a calming hand on Spike's chest.  

            "If you guys are done acting like you're teenagers to which my god you guys are way way way too old for that; can we get back to Earth for a moment?" she said.

            "Sorry," Spike and Angel mumbled simultaneously.

            "So, if you're not staying at Wolfram and Hart where are you going to stay?" Dawn asked.

            "I, uh, have no idea Nibblet.  Wouldn't mind staying here in the mother country that is if Merlin over there will let me," he replied.

            Dumbledore seemed to be deep in thought and didn't answer right away.  His gaze rested on Buffy who made a gesture saying, "It's up to you."  

            "I believe that can be arranged."

            "Professor you can't be serious!  He's a vampire!" McGonagall protested.

            "One of the Scourge of Europe no less," Lupin added although it was more of an informative statement than a means to dissuade Dumbledore from his choice.

            "Hey!  I won't snack on anyone!  I have a soul now!" Spike retorted defensively.

            "I do not believe he will harm anyone Minerva.  If he does I am sure Miss Summers and Miss Faith will deal with him as they see fit since he is a vampire and they are the Vampire Slayers," the old man assured her his voice soft but holding that note of unquestioning finality.

            The Transfiguration professor's lips tightened and her face became enflamed with anger, but she held her tongue and set her disapproving glare on the vampire.  Spike dutifully returned her glare with a cheeky smirk which made lips thin even more.  He scanned the room and noted the new and familiar faces.  Some of the potentials he recognized like Rona, Vi, and Shannon.  He saw that strange potential Jordan standing and talking beside the boy, Andrew, and another boy that looked so much like her he assumed it was her brother.  He was a little surprised she had survived that battle because the last he saw of her she had been sporting quite a bit of stab wounds and looked like she had been about to keel over any minute.  Then he frowned when he failed to see a certain person.

            "Oi!  Where's demon girl?" he asked the Scoobies. 

            "They didn't tell you?" Giles inquired.

            Spike was quick to grasp the concept and hung his head.  With their little "encounter" on the table in the Magic Box aside, Spike had never really been _that_ close to the former vengeance demon, but her apparent death was still saddening.  Plus she had always been a great form of comic relief and the humiliation she unwittingly dealt on Xander had been priceless.

            "No." He slid an irritated frown at Angel.

            "Well, she didn't make it," Buffy said softly.

            To a lot of people's great surprise the vampire actually walked over to Xander, who was looking very forlorn at the mention of his ex-fiancé's demise, and patted him on the back in sympathy.

            "Sorry mate.  She was a right catch that one.  At least she went out fightin," Spike offered as comfort.

            Xander nodded grimly and slid a look at Andrew.  "She went out a hero.  Died saving Andrew."

            _Demon girl dies while that little ponce survives?  _Spike didn't bother pondering how he managed to survive even with Anya's help.  He was slightly shamed for not asking about who survived back at Wolfram and Hart.  All he had really cared about was Buffy and Dawn, but he did like Willow and Anya.  Giles wasn't so bad either, and sometimes he could stand Xander.  He also noticed that bint Kennedy wasn't apart of the group and another wave of guilt for actually feeling somewhat happy about that hit him.  He noticed Red was busy talking to a girl with spiked purple hair.  _Guess Kennedy is out of the picture. _

"So who's the party for?" he asked.

            "Um, Harry mostly cuz it's his birthday, but a little bit for Ginny too cuz she was just made a prefect," Dawn answered before remembering that Spike probably had no idea who those people were.  

            They were quick to ramble through the introductions while pointing out the people.  Spike was a little happy to note that those that didn't know him were slightly wary and afraid of him.  The stern looking professor that had been so against his staying at Hogwarts a while was still giving him a death stare.  

            "So this is a school is it?  For wee bitty wand nutters?" Spike asked.

            Dumbledore chuckled at the nickname while most every other magical person took slight offense.  

            "You know, Dawn is one of us now," Jordan told him.

            "Us?  You mean you're a wand nutter too?  And Nibblet?" Spike fixed an incredulous look on the youngest Summers woman.

            "Isn't it cool?  I shoulda been told earlier, but the Hellmouth bleeped out my signal so they didn't notice me.  And Jordan was a witch the whole time, she just had to keep it secret and stuff," Dawn said her eyes sparkling with delight.

            "Oh," Spike replied with a look of surprise on his face.  "And what does big sis say about this?"

            Buffy shrugged.  "I'm okay with it.  I get to train the girls here at Hogwarts so I get to stay close."

            Spike drank in the sight of his lady love.  Her blonde hair was pulled back but hung in messy, yet attractive strands around her heart-shaped face and he was relieved to see that she had put on a bit more weight as she had started to look a bit malnourished and much too thin for his tastes during the months preceding their last major fight.  Her face seemed to glow with a fierce joy and the weariness that had sat upon her shoulders and endured within her blue-green eyes was lifted somewhat.  The burden of being the world's sole defender had been lifted, but she was still the Slayer and ever a warrior at heart.  He felt the desire to be alone with her burn within him.  There were things that needed to be sorted out, like their last words to one another among others.  

            _"I love you."_

_            "No you don't, but thanks for saying it."_

            Had she meant it?  He didn't know.  He had only denied it because he was afraid that she might have stayed down there with him and had not been able to get out.  That girl, he couldn't remember her name, but that girl that he had helped Buffy save from a bunch of demon summoning teenagers had said to him that she would one day tell him.  Had that been what the girl meant?  Of course Spike had been a little, well a lot, insane at the time.  So it was a little hard to differentiate between reality and illusion at the time.

            Buffy seemed to be thinking along the same lines as him as she had quietly excused herself from the area and made a motion towards Spike beckoning him to follow.  Thankful (and not for the first time) that his heart no longer beat he followed her.  Through torch-lit passageways adorned with gleaming suits of armor that made Spike feel as he had stepped into a time rip and ended up in the Middle Ages they walked until Buffy stopped before a portrait of a cemetery.  After saying the password the portrait swung open and Buffy stepped in.

            "Come on," she said to Spike.  "These are the slayer's quarters."

            He stepped in after her and beheld a gloomy hallway littered with doors in which a few here and there had some posters or stickers on them.  He wondered which room was Buffy's, but his unasked question was quickly taken care of when she opened up the first door on the right.  

            "Faith and I share this one.  It's actually two rooms connected to each other," she explained pointing to another door in her room.  

            "So this is your new bedroom?" he questioned trying not to sound sly or imply anything whatsoever.  

            "Yeah.  It's pretty big and the fireplace thing is cool," she said casually.

            "You going to stay at Hogwarts now or is it just for the school year?" he asked.

            "Dawn and I are going to stay with Giles at his place in Bath.  I'm not sure about Xander and Willow.  I think they were talking about getting an apartment there so they could stay close.  I mean, they're welcome to live with Giles of course, but his place isn't that big," she replied.

            The room was furnished with a punching bag in one corner, a weapon's chest, a dark wooded wardrobe, a four poster bed with a navy blue bedspread, a large window with golden curtains that hid a cushioned sill for a person to sit and stare out at the world beyond the whitewashed walls.  A dark green armchair and loveseat were set in front of the fireplace.  Nothing from Sunnydale could have been salvaged so there were no little bits of memorabilia in the room.  None of those photos of Buffy and her friends and family to stick on the mirror or frame and hand on the wall.  It was a sad thought that all of those little things Buffy had treasured had been lost.  On the mantle of the fireplace laid the mysterious scythe Buffy had effortlessly lifted from stone right before the sadistic preacher, Caleb.  

            "See you're still sportin the holy hand grenade," he commented dryly.

            "Yeah.  Actually Faith and I go back and forth with it, but she insisted I keep it in here with me since I was the one who went in the vineyard and got it.  We use it with the slayers sometimes during training.  Dawn stays in the Gryffindor dormitory with Jordan and the rest.  When school starts back up she'll probably move to the Slytherin dorms.  Slytherin and Gryffindor are two houses in Hogwarts that students get sorted into.  I don't remember what the others are, but there are qualities that go to each house or something like that and they get sorted by a talking hat.  At least that's what Xander and Will told me," she said.

            "Speaking of Faith, is everything alright between you two?" he asked raising his scarred eyebrow.

            "Actually we've been getting along pretty well.  It's sorta like old times before she went temporarily evil.  I would never be able to get through all this stuff without her and don't you dare tell her I said that." Buffy shot Spike a warning glower.

            "Secret's safe with me love.  So Nibblet's been doing some hocus pocus?  How is she doing?" Spike asked.

            "She's really good at it.  I think her keyness might factor into it, but she's come really far in such a short time.  Already studying at the third year level I hear.  She does complain about that one class, History of Magic, quite a bit, which I get," Buffy said.

            "Is she okay here?  After all that's happened?" he inquired with concern.

            "She's coping pretty well.  Dawn is really happy here and I think she and Harry like each other and he seems like a nice boy," she said.

            "What about you?" he murmured.

            Buffy sighed deeply.  "I'm...what can I say?  Good, yeah.  Great, sometimes.  We come across this whole other world and a part of that world lived in my house for four months and I never really noticed.  And now we got this new big bad, Voldemort and that kid Harry has got a lot riding on his shoulders not to mention he's been through hell the past year.  There's this prophecy that says only he can kill Voldemort.  So protecting him and preparing him is partly why we're here.  Hermione is a friend of Harry's and a slayer now so we're training her.  We finished one battle only to get sucked into another basically.  But, that's my life.  Can't fight it, might as well go with it.  I know I'm not the only slayer anymore, but I'm the one with the most experience now and I can't just stop fighting you know."

            Spike nodded in understanding.  While he had occasionally fed on the foolish witch or wizard that happened to cross his path he didn't know much on the Voldemort story.  All he could recall was: evil wizard then evil wizard go poof and disappear.  He hadn't really cared at the time since that was back in his pre-soul days.  He only lived for the hunt and Drusilla and the quest and eventual slaying of slayers.  

            "So, where were you?  You don't seem like one who has been tortured for an inconceivable amount of time or are you just really British?" she asked softly.

            Spike shrugged.  "Truthfully, I have no idea.  Last thing I remember was bein at the bottom of the bloody hellmouth and then the next moment I was in Peaches' office with his mates.  Naturally I thought I was in hell, which was close apparently since it was Wolfram and Hart."  

            "Really?" Buffy said.

            "If I _was_ somewhere then I don't remember.  Maybe that's a good thing," he said nonchalantly.  

            Buffy thought that that was something worth looking into, but since he didn't seem to be worried about it she let the issue drop for the moment.  She had searched his blue eyes that were so colorfully contrasting to Angel's dark eyes, but were the same in intensity.  The soul-searching thing through the eyes hadn't worked or Buffy didn't understand what she had seen.  She was hoping that wherever he had been it had not been hell and if it was he would never regain his memory of it.  

            Spike cleared his throat to get her attention which had wavered for a moment.  "What you said...before I..." he trailed off.

            "I meant it.  I do love you, just not like you love me," Buffy plainly responded, but her voice soon became soft and apologetic.

            "Oh," he whispered sounding disappointed.

            "I'm sorry Spike.  I don't mean to...I mean...you're a great friend and I trust you...with my life.  You were there for me when no one else was when even my friends had abandoned me.  You gave me the strength to go back and face Caleb; you were my rock.  So yeah, I do love you like I love Xander and Willow and I know that's not what you want to hear," she rambled until Spike cut her off.

            "No, it's okay.  I have your trust and friendship and I guess that's all I'll ever get.  I guess that's good enough for me," he muttered making in plain it would never be good enough in his heart, but he was willing to accept it.  

            "God, when did it get so complicated?  Whatever happened to the vampire-slayer hate-hate relationship?  Love just complicates things," she mumbled bitterly.

            "True, but why else do we keep fighting in this world?  If it weren't for love we really would have no reason to live," he said.

            At times Buffy thought Spike could be extremely crude, but there were times when he sounded remarkably wise and insightful.  She watched him examine her room noticing that his usually slicked back platinum blonde hair was a little mussed up, which she thought suited him better.  

            "How did you guys get here?" she inquired.

            "Um, that flooing bit.  I thought Angel had lost his bleedin marbles when he told me to step in a fireplace after sprinkling some dusty stuff on it.  I would only do it after Fred did it.  I actually kinda like that girl, she reminds me of Red with the science rubbish and all," he remarked.

            "Yeah, we'll probably be seeing more of her here," Buffy said.

            "What for?" he asked.

            "Did you see the major chemistry going on between her and Wes?  He's staying here to instruct the slayers on demon lore and all that mumbo jumbo.  And of course he's doing his other watcher duties to train the slayers.  Giles is working on getting the Council headquarters rebuilt in London, but we're gonna set up bases all around the world," she informed him.

            "Wesley and Fred," Spike said thoughtfully.  "Gotta hand it to Watcher Junior, he's got a fair eye for the ladies."

            "Speaking of ladies I should probably get those new girls settled.  And I'm sure Dawn is going to want to pummel you with questions and talk about boys." She grinned when she saw Spike's wince.

            "Oh bloody hell she better not still be into those ruddy boy bands," he groaned.

            "Don't worry, while she might not listen to the Sex Pistols she's totally out of the whole pop thing, in Dawn's words that was so 1999," Buffy replied.

            "Thank god," he said.

            As they stepped out of the portrait and headed back to the Dining Hall, Spike gave a startled "What the hell?" and Buffy whirled around.

            "What?  What is it?" she demanded.

            Spike's kept opening and closing his eyes and was waving his hands over the portrait.  

            "I'm not going mad am I?  I swear that bloke wasn't there when we went it," he whispered.  "Cripes he's moving!"

            Buffy looked where he was pointing and sure enough there was a vampire standing in the cemetery licking his lips with his gleaming yellow eyes boring into the two outside of the portrait.  Buffy just let out a breath of relief and pulled him along the passageway.

            "It's a thing," she explained.

            "People movin in portraits, a ceiling that looks like the outside sky, wand nutters galore; what else does this place got?" he asked sardonically as he and Buffy walked up a staircase.  

            His question was soon answered when his foot sunk into the third step from the top.

            "Hey!" he yelped.

            "Trick steps," Buffy said matter-of-factly.

***********************************************************************************************

Coming up:  It's the end of August and Fudge wants to evaluate the two slayer-witches attending Hogwarts in order to be sure of their stability.  And he may just have other plans for them.


	22. Chapter Twentytwo

Okay, I know this is like really _really_ late. But the end of the year of school kind of sucks in the pile all this homework and exams on you in the last few weeks kind of way. And I have been busy with drama club. Not to mention the little writer's block fairy was kind enough to grace me with its presence. Really gonna shoot that little bastard next time I see it. The way I wanted it to turn out in this chapter kind of didn't happen so I more or less winged it. I put a lot of Percy in this one as he hasn't shown up and I thought it might be interesting to see things from his p.o.v. I really don't remember what his job was specifically at the ministry and I'm feeling too lazy to actually look it up in OotP, so in here he's like Fudge's personal assistant. Again really sorry for the late update. I'll try not to let it happen again, but I make no promises. Thousands of thanks to my reviewers. You guys kick ass! And lots of thanks to Matthew for being very _very _patient and to **TriquetraWarrior** for iming me. 

**J Potter: **Thanks and of course I had to bring Spike back. He's so funny and hot. Sirius might or might not be coming back. Still undecided on that.

**Vld: **Um no, that would be what Spike called the scythe thingy in season 7 when he first saw it. But Monty Python kicks ass! And I can't kill Fudge…yet (hehe).

**NicolaAfyon: **Nope sorry no Spike/Buffy cuz, well, it just won't work here and no Buffy/Angel cuz I just don't like him. I thought he was better off with Cordy. Thanks for the review though.

**ttrunks: **No Spike/Fred, I'm a Wes/Fred fan. 

**Tanydwr: **Um, well, as for them kicking Fudge's ass. Not likely to happen soon. Fudge will get what's coming to him, I just have to _play_ with him first. Very good comparison of Fudge to the British government before WW2. I see your point. Yeah, Kennedy sucked. Glad lots of people seem to agree. Tara was the coolest and I would kill for a voice like that. You'll have to see how Harry does in self-defense. Sure he's good with the wand, but take that away and see how he does. I am big on the constructive criticism as well and I am my biggest critic. I don't like to hurt people's feelings though. Thanks for the nice review.

**Cheezer: **Not sure if your review was a flame or just an informative one. Take a look at the episode again, she says she's been fighting evil since she was _15._ And I am aware that they know of the whole HP universe in the show. I think I said this before, but in case I didn't, in this fic the books don't exist. So they knew nothing of this world in my story. No idea what you mean about the Xmasland thing, but it's like one in the morning and I'm too tired to think about that one.

**vampy the chosen one: **Yeah I definitely had to clear up the whole "I love you" thing. It's not like I coulda just let that get cuz that woulda been careless of me. Thanks a bunch.

**Pnkrkriotgirl: **Actually I have read of Draco having a sister stories, um, I think. Unless those were just Buffy as his sister. ::Too late can't think, oh well:: Well, I thought it was intriguing. Glad you liked it. Am with you on the Hermione/Ron thing. Only I wanted them together since the third book when they fought so much. Um I am assuming you mean my evil OC dude, Hastemire. I made him and his family up. They're just another pureblood family of loyal, well somewhat loyal, Death Eaters. I will try to bring Oz in cuz I thought he was cool.

**MegCat06: **Believe you me I will get Xander a girlfriend. After all he's been through he deserves some loving. 

**Silver Warrior: **I can see Buffy with other people than Angel. Just her with Spike makes no sense to me. I mean as friends yeah, but as lovers, nope. I may sound crazy, but I always wanted her to hook up with Riley's hunky pal Graham. I liked him way better than Riley from what little we saw of him lol. Feeding Fudge to Spike. I thought of that too. That would be funny.

**blondi gurl: **All I can say for Spike is he's a big part of the gang now and will be extremely helpful in the fight against the dark lord.

**SPASH Panther: **Well, it's more like McGonagall has a problem with Spike being in the same building as the students whereas Angel will be thousands of miles away most of the time. 

Also thanks to **ScruffyWes**, **Tiger Tiger2**, **Destiny's Dragon**, and **matt** for reviewing. 

****

Being in his old school and walking the familiar chilly stone hallways and warily staring at the gleaming suits of armor was a painful dose of nostalgia to Percy Weasley. It brought back memories of the days when he had just been Percy, Gryffindor prefect and later Head Boy. Those days had been more or less carefree. He had had a loving, albeit slightly crazy family to return home to when the term was ended. He had had a girlfriend whom he had cared for dearly to enjoy life with. Sure, he had been an uptight stickler, but someone had to balance out the blatant disregard for the rules his younger brothers had. 

With a morose glance to the stormy enchanted ceiling he realized that those days were lost and probably permanently so. It had literally taken him all summer to admit to himself that he had been wrong about Voldemort, Harry Potter, and Dumbledore. It had taken him all of those three months to realize the full measure of what he had done to himself and his family. He had betrayed them; had utterly failed to do his duty as a Weasley in the worse way. Having taken three months to finally admit his self-inflicted alienation and mistakes to himself it would take nothing short of eternity to admit that to everyone else. 

He wanted so much to have the courage to apologize to them; to go to his mother (whom he felt he had hurt most of all) and make things right. But the damnable pride within him would not allow for such penitence. All he could do now was do whatever he could to aid this upcoming war against Voldemort and try to restore the ever-weakening faith in the Ministry. 

"Brings back some old memories, eh?" asked Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.

Percy nodded curtly and said nothing. The word got out that Dumbledore had taken in three new students from America, the children of renowned Aurors and an undiscovered Muggle-born witch, and that one of the girls was a Vampire Slayer. After that word came several more on the subject of the Vampire Slayers, Buffy Summers and the former renegade, Faith. The Ministry was well connected to the Watcher's Council and quite a few Council members had been former Ministry members and vice versa. It had been a terrible loss indeed when the Council had been destroyed. So many respectable men and women had lost their lives in that blast. Luckily, several members of the Council worked abroad and were spared the fiery fate of their brethren. One member, a wizard, had been contacted by a former watcher in Los Angeles, California and he had told the wizard the strangest story. That same story the wizard had recently related to the Ministry. Apparently there were now thousands of slayers worldwide and currently at Hogwarts were the two original ones along with a growing brigade of others of which two among that number were to attend Hogwarts this next term as students. And also working with the two elder slayers was the woman responsible for the increase in their numbers. 

"Where is that confounded man? I specifically stated in the letter that he was to meet me in his office when we portkeyed there," Fudge growled angrily as they walked through the assorted passageways of Hogwarts. 

Percy again kept his mouth shut. He didn't think it prudent to tell Fudge that Dumbledore was the sort of man that arrived when he meant to arrive and not the other way around. Their question as to the missing headmaster's whereabouts was soon answered when the wise old man himself stepped came face to face while rounding a corner. Dumbledore seemed not at all surprised. 

"Minister, always a pleasure. And young Mister Weasley as well," the old man greeted politely, though Percy didn't detect any of the warmth that usually permeated the wizard.

"Professor, why weren't you in your office? I am quite sure that I said I would be here at 1:00 in the afternoon," the Minister of Magic replied icily with a faint touch of nervousness.

"Oh you did and you have my most sincere apologies for not being there. There were some school matters I had to attend to. I am sure you understand," Dumbledore said plainly popping a piece of candy into his mouth.

Fudge clenched his fists and quelled the desire to have one of his guards hex the impertinent man within his own territory. Ever since the skirmish at the Ministry a few months ago Fudge's dignity and popularity had taken quite the beating. Rather than blame the apparent cause of the problems, himself along with Voldemort, he saw Dumbledore and the Potter boy as the reasons. 

"Indeed. Where are they?" Fudge asked shortly.

"By they I am assuming you mean our new allies and their charges," Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the short, pudgy man.

"Of course I mean them. Have we any other allies that you did not see fit to notify me of?" Fudge's bitter voice was filled with spite.

Dumbledore merely gave his equivalent of a shrug of indifference by flicking a spot of dust off his sapphire colored robes. 

"Since it is such a wonderful summer day outside Miss Summers and Miss Faith along with the two current watchers, Mr. Giles and Mr. Wyndam-Pryce have taken the girls outside to train. This way." 

He led them to where the slayers were training in a spot by the lake. Buffy was standing in front of a group of about fifteen girls who stood in three straight rows performing various fighting techniques. Others were sparring in pairs while Faith, Wesley, and Giles supervised. 

"How many are there?" Fudge asked.

"Well, currently we have thirty-five girls here. The spell we did to find the young ladies showed us that there are over one thousand newly activated slayers worldwide. There were more, but Miss Rosenberg performed a modifying spell to turn the slayer energy back into potential energy in any girls younger than fifteen. That reduced the numbers quite a bit," Dumbledore informed him.

"Is this the same Wicca who turned them all into slayers?" Fudge inquired with a subtle hint of derision leaking into his voice.

Dumbledore noticed the man's scornful tone but did not comment on it and simply answered, "Yes."

Faith spotted the men and left Wesley and Giles to greet Dumbledore and find out who the other men were. 

"Hey Dumbledore. Who're the new guys?" she asked her dark eyes searching them over and over with a very nerve-wracking intensity.

"This is Cornelius Fudge, our Minister of Magic. His assistant here is Percy Weasley; you are already acquainted with his family. I have not caught the names of the other two men, but they are personal guards of the minister's," Dumbledore told her.

Faith frowned remembering all that she had been told of the minister and his actions that past year. She folded her arms and scrutinized the short man. 

"I'm Faith, one of the Chosen Two," she told them with a barely noticeable flex of her muscles. 

The two guards tightened their grips on their wands and Percy himself was hard put to not succumb to his sudden desire to back up a couple steps. Fudge's eyes betrayed his own nervousness at being so close to such a powerful and seductive being. He could never stand being in the presence of someone far more powerful than him be it magically or physically. Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes gleamed with mirth and the raven-haired slayer winked at him. Both of them could sense the fear off the four men and Faith was obviously enjoying it. 

"So, you're the Head Mojo-Man?" Faith inquired casually pretending not to notice their apparent uneasiness.

Fudge puffed his chest out importantly and answered smugly, "Of the United Kingdom, yes I am." He really didn't want to try to correct her on the proper term for his kind. 

Faith gave a little half-smile and left the men to bring over her sister-slayer and co-commander, Buffy. 

"B, hey, the Minister of Magic is here with some lackeys. S'pose you should go over and say hello. I already gave them a good intimidating, but I think it's safe to say they could use some more. 'Specially the minister," Faith told her after pulling her away from the group of trainees.

"Oh joy," Buffy muttered sarcastically. 

"Yeah, I just met the guy and already I can tell he is one major asshole," Faith said.

Buffy sighed in reluctant acquiescence. She knew that she would have had to meet this guy sooner or later as he was the leader of the Wizarding government of the United Kingdom. _Might as well get this over with. I just hope Dumbledore keeps quiet on the Spike issue._ She didn't think the minister would take too kindly to an actual vampire however benevolent he appeared. It had been hard enough to get Professor McGonagall to accept him.

"Alright, let's get Giles and Wes," Buffy said.

After retrieving the two watchers and telling the girls to behave whilst they spoke with the minister the four walked back over to where the headmaster and the four visitors stood. 

"Minister, this is Buffy Summers the eldest living Vampire Slayer now, and her watcher, Rupert Giles. From Los Angeles is Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, also a watcher," Dumbledore introduced them while gesturing to each person. 

After a beat and some scrutinizing on the part of both parties Fudge held his hand out to the three he had just been acquainted with. Wesley was the first to grasp it. Buffy had her arms folded and her entire body was tense. 

"I must say we are quite honored to unite with the Wizarding World against the dark lord," the refined British gentleman said.

"Likewise. We are eager to accept any help we can," Fudge replied flatly his eyes darting back and forth between the two slayers and the two watchers. 

"Hey are you related to the Weasleys?" Buffy asked Percy when she noticed the redhead.

Percy winced in return and dolefully nodded his head. "I'm Percy. I'm Arthur and Molly Weasley's third child."

"Cool. Your younger brother and sister are here right now. I like them. Neat kids," she said warmly.

Color drained from the tall redhead's face. Ron and Ginny were here now? He hadn't expected any of his family to be at Hogwarts this early which had been the only reason he had accompanied Fudge. Buffy frowned in confusion at his reaction, but waved it away and turned her gaze back to Fudge.

"So, what is it you would like to know about what we do?" she inquired.

"Well, I believe it is quite obvious what you _do_ Miss Summers. Your title is Vampire Slayer. I am interested in what you are going to do," he said.

Buffy exchanged glances with Faith, Giles, and Wesley. 

"Well, we are working on keeping Harry Potter protected and gathering all slayers that are willing. I am sure you know already that Voldemort just might have demonic and vampiric allies so that is where we can be of great benefit. We are especially interested in finding all slayer-witches as they will be very helpful to our cause," Giles told him.

Fudge wondered why that plan did not include anything about destroying Lord Voldemort, but at the mention of slayer-witches he remembered that there were two to attend Hogwarts. 

"Ah yes, slayer-witches. What are the names of those girls attending here?" he asked.

"The American girl is Jordan Firewell from Katsmorn, Montana. She attended Professor Scarlett Tranley's school, Cristallon in Washington State. You know her parents, Gabriel and Aurora, and her grandfather was of course Christopher Firewell. She had been trained as a potential since she was eight. The other is one of our own, Hermione Granger," Dumbledore informed him.

Percy's jaw dropped at the mention of his younger brother's best friend's name. Hermione was a slayer? The possibility hadn't even crossed his mind. 

"So where are these young ladies?" Fudge asked.

Buffy and Faith bristled simultaneously. They had both become extremely protective of all the slayers and both of them were a little disinclined to have this man around any of them. Buffy met Faith's eyes and they silently communicated mind to mind like Willow had taught. Faith was still a little rusty at the sending the telepathic message part because she had just started learning so she mostly listened. 

_"We might as well just take him to them. He'll get to them sooner and later. Besides, I don't think he's evil, a prick yeah, but not evil and Dumbledore seems to be okay with it, I think," _ Buffy said silently.

Faith nodded, but she was still very uneasy about the whole thing.

_"If he tries anything, we could just feed him to Spike," _the shorter slayer joked.

Faith snorted involuntarily causing everyone besides Buffy and Dumbledore to look at her like she had grown another head. 

"I believe Hermione and Jordan were training together. I'll lead you to them," Wesley told the minister.

"Superman is way cooler than Spiderman!" Andrew stressed as he ducked a punch from Xander.

"Oh please. He wears underwear outside of his pants!" the taller man with the eye patch replied as he grabbed the smaller blonde one and threw him to the ground.

Jordan and Hermione had abandoned their own sparring match to watch Xander and Andrew's. Ron stood behind his girlfriend with his long arms wrapped around her waist. She had leaned into his embrace and spent much more time paying attention to the rhythm of his breathing than the two Muggles.

"Wow. He really gets worked up when it comes to his comic books, doesn't he?" Aidan remarked referring to Andrew.

Dawn groaned and rolled her eyes. "You have no idea." 

She caught Harry's eye and threw him a dazzling smile as the boy sat up on the grass. He had already spent the better half of the morning going through his own physical training. He was fast enough and his reflexes were quite good though not as good as a slayer's. But unfortunately he was lacking in the physical strength area. He was sure even Dawn could beat him at an arm-wrestling match. He actually didn't know if this was true, but he was afraid his ego wouldn't let him give it a try.

"It's a good thing. He kind of needed the anger it makes him a better fighter. He's almost matching Xander, but I guess he's a bit at a disadvantage having only one eye and all," Jordan said.

"I'm not sure I understand. Who are Superman and Spiderman anyway? Are they people you know?" Ginny asked Dawn.

"They're just comic book superheroes. Spiderman was an ordinary kid bitten by a radioactive spider so bing bam he's a got all these supernatural talents. Superman came from another planet and can fly," she explained although she didn't know much on the subject beyond what she had seen in movies and on television.

"Oh yeah, I remember Spiderman. Wasn't he the really good looking guy who wore the nice tight leotard thing and swung around on this white rope in that movie you had?" Jordan asked.

Dawn grinned. "Is that all you remember of the movie? Tobey Maguire in a tight suit?"

Jordan gave an extremely offended look. "No! I remember other things. Like the, erm, didn't he beat an old lady with a can?" 

"That doesn't sound much like a superhero," Hermione commented dryly. 

"Personally, anyone who calls himself Spiderman is just scary," Ron said having had bad experiences with spiders and not liking them to begin with.

Dawn walked over to sit by Harry. She kind of wished that Spike could be outside in such nice weather as this, but being the night creature that he was he was safely ensconced within in his room in the dungeons. 

"You're being all quiet-like. I thought I had cured you almost of all of that," she remarked as she plopped down beside the dark-headed boy.

"I'm tired. I was up all night finishing my homework for over the holidays and then I get up early to train," he explained rubbing his eyes. "I wish I had slayer stamina," he remarked while looking over enviously at Hermione and Jordan.

"Ah, you'll get used to it. Besides it is kinda fun isn't it? Getting to know how to do all these nifty little tricks with and without weapons," Dawn replied.

Harry had to agree and he had entertained the idea of using some of his new fighting skills on a particular Slytherin when school started back up in two days. He had grudgingly agreed to go ahead and ride the train to Hogwarts as Hermione, Ginny, and Ron had to anyway since they were prefects. Jordan and Aidan had always traveled to school by portkey so they definitely wanted to go on the train and they wanted to meet their fellow housemates. Dawn had never in her life been on a magical train and she had only been on a normal train once that she could remember and that had been years ago. Despite the fact that he would probably receive a lot of attention, pleasant and unpleasant, he decided to go with them. Willow, Wesley, and Xander would be going with them at Buffy's request along with Tonks and Lupin. Moody would probably be somewhere as well.

"Hey guys!" came Buffy's yell.

Xander quickly released Andrew from the headlock he currently had the young man in causing him to drop to the ground and quickly scrambling to his feet. Jordan quickly picked up her wooden staff and Hermione reluctantly tore herself from Ron's arms and picked up hers. Everyone paused what they were doing when they noticed that four other people were walking with Buffy, Dumbledore, Giles, Wesley, and Faith. Hermione sucked in a breath through clenched teeth when she noticed the Minister of Magic. She gasped when she saw a familiar tall redhead amongst them. She glanced anxiously at her boyfriend who had stiffened and look of bitter disgust spread over his face and slightly marred his pleasant features. His sister was doing a bit better at concealing her emotions under the guise of indifference. 

"Uh-oh," Aidan said quietly.

"Who the hell are they?" Jordan asked Hermione.

"That's their Minister of Magic Jordan. Don't you ever read anything in the papers that doesn't deal with music?" her brother told her.

Harry, meanwhile, was debating whether or not to leave the area because he didn't know how long he could withstand the presence of Fudge or Percy. He slowly stood up and stalked up to stand with Ron and Ginny. Dawn silently followed him.

"Good afternoon everyone. I trust you are all enjoying the end of summer?" Dumbledore greeted them politely in an attempt to ease the tension.

"Oh yes, it's very nice here. Although it may take some time before I convince silly Xander here that Superman is way cooler than Spiderman," Andrew replied earning himself some very perplexed stares on the other end.

Harry's emerald irises sparkled with ire as he looked upon the man who had put him, Dumbledore, and his godfather through hell last year all because of his paranoia and ignorance. He was getting angry from just the mere sight of Fudge that he started to shake. Dawn, noticing Harry's strange behavior but not understanding the cause completely grasped his hand in hopes of calming him down. Harry swallowed hard and felt himself calm slightly at the feel of Dawn's smooth skin. He held onto her hand tightly as though she was the only thing preventing his losing his temper.

"Minister, these are the two slayer-witches, Hermione Granger and Jordan Firewell." Wesley put a hand on each shoulder of the girls' as he introduced them.

Fudge studied the two girls carefully which started to make Jordan squirm. She hated when people just stared at her and never said anything. She didn't know much about this guy except what she had read in the papers and what everyone spoke about. The general consensus was that this man was an imbecile. Perfect. 

"Well, you two must certainly feel special. Slayers and _witches_. I understand that you are not as common as Muggle-born slayers?" His tone of voice was most disagreeable to the young slayers.

"Erm, yeah. But strength wise we're no more powerful," Jordan replied shortly.

"Ah, but you can also do magic. It certainly sets you apart from the rest, doesn't it?" Fudge said.

"So? I'm sure there are some slayers who can do Wiccan magic. I mean it was a Wicca that turned us all into slayers," Jordan said.

"So I've been told." Fudge sighed and seemed to be contemplating on something.

Jordan peaked at Hermione who had her arms folded across her chests and was chewing her bottom lip. She kept glancing back at Ron, Ginny, and Harry in anxiety and back to Fudge and the tall redhead with glasses beside him. _Must be another Weasley kid. Boy he looks like someone broke his wand in half._ From what she could see of the redhead's face he seemed to be very uneasy and very sad at the same time. She then looked back at the other Weasley children. Ron's face was seething with bitterness and pointed abhorrence and Ginny, well, hers was unreadable. Jordan was never good at reading emotions on faces unless they were quite obvious. Lucky for her Ron was like an open book most of the time. Harry seemed, for lack of a better term, pissed off. Dawn shot her friend a worried and questioning glance. Jordan had nothing to offer but a shrug. 

"Dumbledore, I would like to speak with you in your office," Fudge said while still looking at Jordan and Hermione. 

Dumbledore frowned, but politely answered, "Of course Minister."

Since Fudge apparently did not have the stamina to walk all the way back to Dumbledore's office, which was rather strange since Dumbledore had quite a lot of years over him and would have no trouble with it, Dumbledore charmed his hat into a portkey which whisked him, the Minister, and his companions to his office. 

"Ten galleons says that Fudge has a problem with us," Jordan whispered to Hermione.

"Us? I think it might be them," Hermione whispered back pointing to Buffy and Faith.

While the discussion between Dumbledore and Fudge went on in the headmaster's office the corridor outside of his office was quite full with some very anxious and angry people. Hermione paced in front of the stone gargoyle that concealed the entrance to the office in an agitated state. She hated not knowing what the men were talking about and she mostly hated that her instincts were telling her that it wasn't good. Another part of her was worrying about her boyfriend who after seeing his brother had stormed off to the common room. Ginny seemed to be taking it better than Ron, but she was rather silent and distant at the moment. Even Aidan, whom she now seemed to talk with the most, couldn't coax anything more than a few sentences out of the girl. He had eventually given up and gone to sit by his sister. 

"How do you like that? School hasn't even started and already I'm probably gonna get deported or something," Jordan mumbled to her twin.

"They could be talking about something completely different," Aidan offered as comfort with false cheer to coat it.

Jordan raised her eyebrow and looked at her brother with the expression that said, _Puh-leese._

"He's probably trying to take all the credit for allying with you guys from Dumbledore," Harry told them.

"Lovely," Jordan replied sarcastically.

Buffy and Faith were standing in at the left of the group of teens and Wesley and Giles stood at the right as if they were guards. The elder slayers and the two watchers were conferring quietly with the other making many gestures to the entrance to Dumbledore's office. All four of them were curious as to what Fudge was discussing with Dumbledore. After all, who wouldn't be?

Buffy stopped mid sentence while she was talking to Faith when she sensed a most familiar presence. She turned her head and caught Spike stepping coming around a shadowy corner with a cigarette in his mouth while blowing smoke through his nostrils. He stopped in his tracks and smirked at the scene before him.

"What's this? Sun too much for you humans?" he drawled his voice somewhat muffled from the cigarette in his mouth.

"Thought Dumbledore said you couldn't smoke in the castle," Buffy said to him.

"'Snot like I could go outside at the moment and smoke a fag unless I wanna end up like it," he retorted.

"Well, he is allowing for you to live, erm, stay in the castle and you really should just go with his wishes," Buffy pressed crossing her arms and scowling at him.

Spike rolled his blue eyes while letting out a dramatic sigh and let his cigarette fall to the ground so he could crush it underneath his boot. 

"Happy now?" he questioned dryly.

"I'll be happy when Dumbledore tells me what the hell Fudge wants," Buffy muttered.

"What?" Spike was confused by her reply.

With a sigh Buffy launched into an explanation of who Fudge was and why he came. Spike listened to it all with a serious air about him and nodded his head thoughtfully after she finished.

"Does he want something with those two?" he asked referring to Jordan and Hermione.

"Dunno," Faith answered.

"God, I hope not," Hermione said anxiously wringing her hands.

"I could take care of him for you. I _do_ have that soddin' chip outta my head," Spike joked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. 

Harry brightened at the thought and instinctively replied, "Really?"

"Uh no, that would only end up causing more problems," Buffy quickly countered.

She, of course, did not comment on the fact that she had had the same idea. Only she hadn't really meant it. A yelp of surprise jolted everyone to their senses when the stone gargoyle that guarded the passage to Dumbledore's office that Dawn had been sitting against slid away. She scrambled to her feet along with everyone else who had been sitting on the floor as the five men emerged. Dumbledore's countenance was hard and grim and Fudge's was blazing with anger. Percy kept his gaze downward as he clutched several scrolls to his chest. He couldn't look at his sister and she seemed to be equally determined to avoid his gaze as well.

Fudge walked straight to where Buffy and Faith stood and waggled his finger at the two women. 

"You should have come to me if an alliance was what you sought. But I am willing to forgive that act if you two were to sign over control of your girls to myself and relocate the training grounds to the Ministry. I had requested this of Dumbledore, but he was adamant in proclaiming that it was your decision to make. So who you will serve under Miss Summers? Myself or some crazy old fool," he said to them his voice sounding more and more pompous to the ears of the two slayers.

Buffy and Faith goggled at the Minister for this outburst in front of the students and for his brazen insulting of Dumbledore. And just where did he come off asking for control of the slayers. Control of the slayers belonged to none other than the slayers themselves. Dumbledore understood that so why couldn't Fudge? 

Buffy's voice was tight as she simply replied, "We're fine with Dumbledore, thanks."

"And it isn't much like serving under as serving with, kay?" Faith corrected him cheekily.

Fudge's eyes hardened and his skin turned to a mottled purple to rival that of Harry's Uncle Vernon. He had never much liked the legacy of the Slayer. In his mind they were dangerous creatures to be ever mindful of. Mortal girls with strength and power beyond reckoning ranked up with giants in the danger scale. He had intended to keep them close so as to keep an eye on them. The dark haired one, Faith was her name, had even once succumbed to the darkness. That meant she should be doubly watched. And the elder one, Buffy, one who had bested death not once, but twice could be a threat. And then there was that Wicca, Rosenberg. He remembered hearing rumors of a powerful Wicca in Sunnydale (which he naturally didn't pay much attention to before) and was now guessing that this Rosenberg was said Wicca. _Muggles with magics; not a subject to be trifled with. Whose ever idea it was to allow for them to manipulate the forces around them was mad. Completely mad. _

"So you choose to side with _him_?" Fudge asked incredulously.

"Um, aren't you chaps on the same side? Against Voldemort and all?" Spike inquired.

Fudge's eyes went briefly to the bleach blonde vampire before turning on the two women in front of him both of whom were starting to look a little ticked. The words that he had planned on spouting to them seemed to crackle and burn under the fire of their gazes and in a rare case of wisdom Fudge chose to keep his thoughts to himself. There was no telling what the two young women would do if provoked. He _knew_ Dumbledore was not fool enough to attempt anything rash. 

"Very well. I can only say that I hope you come to realize the full extent of your mistake," he told the two women in a strained voice.

When Buffy and Faith rolled their eyes in annoyance at him he turned away in a rage and stalked over to Dumbledore. 

"Planning on adding them to your army Dumbledore? They going to make up your new army? Well, do not come to me when they turn on you. Especially the Wicca and dark haired slayer," Fudge spat in disgust.

"I do not think it wise to making such crude accusations Minister," Dumbledore admonished when he noticed the growing anger on everyone's faces.

Fudge simply scoffed at his words, but was quick to gather his entourage and portkey out of there. After the insufferable man left all eyes trained on Dumbledore for explanations. 

"Would it be a terrible inconvenience if we were to conduct the explanations somewhere a bit more comfortable? I daresay it is almost your dinnertime," Dumbledore replied wearily. 

Something about his demeanor had Hermione greatly pertubed. With her heightened senses she was able to detect a new aura of grim weariness surrounding the old wizard. She had known Dumbledore was quite old in a sense of how many years he had lived, but she had never thought of him as being _old _old. More wrinkles were visible and his twinkling blue eyes were a little less twinkling then they were last year. They seemed almost burnt out. It was very frightening indeed to see the one whom Voldemort most feared in that light. A horrible morbid thought entered in her head. What if something happened to Dumbledore? What would they do without him? Not only was he one of their most powerful advocates, he was sort of like a grandfather to them all. Losing Dumbledore would be a most grievous blow to the heart for Hermione and many others. Though Harry kept up a subtle pretense of intense dislike for him, she knew that if something _were_ to happen to Dumbledore he would be greatly wounded.

After several cups of tea and several helpings of scrumptious meats and vegetables in the dining hall Dumbledore finally explained to them what Fudge and he had discussed.

Apparently what Dumbledore and Fudge had talked about had taken almost twice as long as what Fudge had said to Buffy and Faith even when it was the same subject. Perhaps because Fudge had done a bit more yelling and complaining the first time around. Feeling threatened and always a bit paranoid of what Dumbledore would do with so many powerful beings at his disposal, Fudge demanded he relinquish control of them. Dumbledore was forced to break Fudge's bubble in that he did not have control over the slayers. The ones with that power were Buffy and Faith. 

Fudge had been especially interested in having control over the slayer-witches making Jordan and Hermione slightly nervous at the thought. 

"Don't worry girls. That bastard's not gonna touch you with us around," Faith assured them.

"Or he'll just have Mom and Dad to deal with," Aidan whispered to his sister who grinned wickedly. 

"Grandma would be worse," she whispered back.

Later that evening, Hermione, Harry, Dawn, Aidan, Jordan, and Ginny returned to the Gryffindor common room. Ginny had promptly gone up into the girls' dormitories and did not come down for the rest of the night. Harry was thinking towards heading up to the boys' dormitories soon as he was exhausted mentally and physically from the intense training he had done that day and from the rage he felt towards Fudge. Rage was so tiring. 

"Okay what was the major drama up there with Ron and Ginny and their brother? At least I guess it was their brother," Dawn inquired of Harry and Hermione.

Hermione sighed and sank into a chair and answered, "It was. His name is Percy and he's the third eldest. There were some ……_disagreements_ between Percy and his family some months back and I don't believe they have quite gotten over it."

"Oh. So he's sort of the Weasley pariah now?" Jordan asked.

"I suppose you could put it that way. I just hope Ron gets over it by Monday," Hermione replied.

"Oh yes, Monday. We'll no longer have this place to ourselves," Aidan sighed bittersweetly.

"Yeah and I'll have to clear out and go to the Slytherin dorms. I'll miss you guys," Dawn murmured tiredly. 

"Ah don't worry you can visit us. And if they get their robes all twisted in a knot about you and stuff just kick their asses. Or I'll do it," Jordan told her.

"Or Spike could eat them," Harry suggested.

Being as tired as they were they found it far more humorous than it actually was and the common room erupted with laughter. There was no doubt in Harry's mind, this year was going to be interesting. 


	23. Chapter Twentythree

Okay here is the first half of my update. My chapter got so long I had to split it up into two chapters. I will upload the other one shortly as soon as I finish tweaking with it. Hopefully as soon as school's out I will be able to update more frequently. Thanks to my reviewers! You guys kick ass! And to all the Draco lovers his time has finally come. I put reviewer responses at the end of this chapter if you're interested.

Platform 9 and ¾ was a blur of multicolored robes and mingled voices saying goodbye to loved ones as a new year of Hogwarts was about to kick off. Amidst the blur of robes Jordan ran a quick check through her handy bag of supplies for the trip.

"Let's see: wand, stake, dagger, cross, holy water, book, makeup, mirror, hair ties, quill, parchment, and HOLY CRAP!"

As her hand grazed against something small and slimy she dropped her bag while swinging her other arm back coming in contact with a person who had been walking behind her. That person let out a nice little "oompf" and flew back on his ass a couple of feet behind her. Jordan, for the moment had not noticed and instantly spewed out a number of curses as two very familiar boys started guffawing in obvious amusement.

"Fred, George, care to tell me what the hell you put in my bag? And if it starts with the letter 'w' I will personally see to it that your appendages move in completely new and unique fashions," she stated through gritted teeth while wiping her hand against her jeans.

Her nascent tirade against the offending twins was interrupted by a very offended and angry "ahem" behind her. She whirled around about to tell the person to back off and mind their own business if they planned on keeping their appendages moving normally when she noticed that the boy was sporting a split lip which was leaking a thin line of blood and a reddened area that held the promise of turning black and blue by this time tomorrow under his right eye. She noticed all this and one other thing. This boy was hot.

With a shiny mop of white-blonde hair that seemed to go perfectly with his porcelain skin and icy blue eyes that were staring at her with indignation and rancor written in them he was quite possibly the best looking creature she had ever seen. Well, except maybe for Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. He tied with them, but as it was looking quite towards the impossible side that she would ensnare one of them without resorting to something illegal he was a little ahead of the game. Right at the moment when he pulled himself to his feet and wiped himself off with a scowl still set in his handsome face she recalled the back of her fist hitting something, or rather someone. _Whoops._

"Why don't you watch where you're going, wench!" he exclaimed stalking up to her.

"Oh, I'm real sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. There…there…was a worm in my bag and well it startled me and I sorta freaked. I'm real sorry," she apologized while gathering her stuff into her bag.

"You're American? What are you doing here?" he questioned carrying the distinct authoritative tone that she found quite disagreeable.

"Well, yes I am American. But if you get wanna get technical the Firewells originated in Ireland and my mom's the French side. And, well, I'm here because I decided transferring would be the best course of action." Jordan let the lie fall easily from her mouth wanting to keep her slayer identity under wraps until the feast that evening at Hogwarts.

Firewell. She was a pureblood; albeit an American, Muggle-loving, traitorous, back-stabbing one at that. The Firewells were just like the Weasleys, only a hell of a lot richer and with more powerful connections. Draco Malfoy was rather curious as to how she managed to throw a swing like that with so much force behind it. He studied her carefully as she gathered up some random knickknacks into her bag. She was really rather pretty with auburn hair tied up into a messy bun and clear, pale skin. His eyes traveled down her body and he found himself nodding in acute satisfaction. He wondered if a good punch was the only talents she carried.

"Um, well, I guess that's everything and where the hell did those two go? Merlin, I'm going to dismember them. I bet that little bastard is still in there. Anyway, I'm Jordan," she said while holding her hand out.

"Hey Malfoy! Love the new look you're sporting. Get in a tiff with your boyfriend?" Ron Weasley drawled.

Draco bristled and was about to send a retort on its way when,

"Jordan! What did you do? I swear, school hasn't even begun and you're already attacking people," an older woman who looked rather similar to Jordan scolded while grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away.

"Mom! It was an accident. It was all their fault. They stuck the damn worm in my bag!" she cried while pointing to the redheaded twins who were still doubled over in laughter. They wisely straightened up as the young slayer-witch advanced upon them.

"Come on Jordan, it was just a bit of fun. Really you shoulda seen the look on your face," one of them (she wasn't sure which) began.

"Absolutely priceless," the other agreed heartily.

"And now I'm thinking we should run," the other pointed out noticing that Jordan was getting redder and redder in the face.

"Excellent idea, Fred," George replied while scampering off with his brother.

Even though she was quite capable of running after them and catching them she decided to just let them go. For now anyway. Those two might be clever little wizards as far as nifty trick trifles go, but she wondered if the two could brew a shrinking potion meant for some very specific parts of the male anatomy.

"Bugger off Malfoy! Go clean up your black eye—or not. I think it looks pretty good on you," Ron told Draco.

For the sake of carrying on a tradition of insult trading the boys were already starting up a heated fight.

"You better watch who you're talking to Weasel," Draco replied in a low and dangerous voice his hand in the pocket of his robes.

"Oh, I'm real scared. Guess what? Daddy's not around to bail you out anymore. Yeah, he's in Azkaban in case you didn't notice," Ron spat while stepping closer to the Slytherin boy.

Draco's face twisted into an ugly mask of hatred and he lunged for the tall redhead. In the nick of time someone grabbed the back of his robes and wrenched him back. The same person had also pulled Ron back preventing the two-man dogpile that almost occurred. Draco glared up into the face of a young man with glasses dressed in Muggle clothes with a stern gleam in his brown eyes.

"Now boys, it is neither the time nor the place for such antics befitting young men of your maturity levels, which I daresay are running rather low," Wesley chided in his crisp British accent after releasing the boys simultaneously.

"Ronald Weasley! Get over here!" Molly Weasley's voice broke out.

Actual fear now shone on the boy's face and he slunk over to his mother. Wesley, satisfied that Ron's mother would provide more than enough scolding, turned to leave, but then turned around and threw a white handkerchief to the boy.

"Your lip's doing a fair bit of bleeding. Might want to wash that off," he suggested before walking away.

Draco stood dumbfounded holding a white handkerchief with a bleeding lip and a developing black eye dealt by a girl. An abnormally strong girl, but a girl all the same. This was hardly the way he had planned starting his sixth year. And it wouldn't do for his fellow housemates to get a glimpse of him in such a predicament. If there was one thing Draco Malfoy had, it was dignity. And now it had been somewhat shredded thanks to that American bitch. With another death glare directed towards said American bitch who was talking with her mother and paying the boy she had hit no mind at all Draco threw the handkerchief to the ground and used his own sleeve to wipe the blood off his lip. Better to dirty his own garments than to foul his blood up with something used by a Muggle. He then waltzed off the platform and on to the train to find his minions.

Dawn ignored the pangs of bittersweet nostalgia that arose when Mrs. Weasley swept her up in a motherly embrace. She remembered her own mother hugging her like that; full of love and security and smelling faintly like spices and sweets from the kitchen.

"You and your sister come and visit us anytime at the Burrow. We'd love to have you," Mrs. Weasley told her while straightening Dawn's jean jacket.

"Will do. We wouldn't miss your cooking for the world," Dawn replied. It was no lie; the woman was a phenomenal cook.

Mrs. Weasley blushed at the praise looking quite a bit like her youngest son when he got embarrassed. She kissed Dawn on the forehead and moved on to say goodbye to Harry.

"You be careful this year especially Harry. And please don't get yourself into any more battles. Merlin knows that's the last thing anyone needs," Mrs. Weasley spoke softly.

Harry didn't know what to tell her. No matter what he did or where he went trouble always seemed to find him. That was the story of his life and from the stories Dawn had told apparently the story of the "Scoobies'" lives as well.

"Don't worry Mum. The slayers will be there to keep us safe," Ginny assured her.

"Yeah Molly don't get your knickers in a twist. I won't let anything get to them," Tonks said cheerfully.

Mrs. Weasley gave one last hug to her two youngest children and tearfully waved them off as the walked onto the train. After Fred and George made sure Jordan was on the train they ran up to stand beside their mother and waved merrily. Mr. and Mrs. Firewell were not far off waving at them with Jordan and Aidan's grandmother along side.

During the ride the gang from the States was introduced to many new Hogwarts faces including Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas. The three were delighted in having new students and were quick to ask them if they were going to join the D.A. or Dumbledore's Army.

The group exchanged conspiratorial grins as the boys told them all about it.

"It was Harry's idea here and I'm positive that Dumbledore will let us take it up again. Now that that bint Umbridge is gone we don't have to do it in secret," Seamus said.

"I can't wait to try some more jinxes on Malfoy and his cronies. That was bloody priceless last year!" Dean chorused.

"You know something I heard from Gram. I heard that there were a whole bunch of new people at Hogwarts. And there are rumors that say they're all vampire slayers!" Neville exclaimed.

Jordan and Hermione both shifted uneasily, but acted surprised along with everyone else. They still wanted to wait until the Welcoming Feast to let their identities be known.

"That's rubbish Neville. Everyone knows there's only one slayer and she's a Muggle. I heard stories about her, rumor has it she took on a hellgod," Seamus told them rather smugly.

"Actually I heard there were two slayers," Dawn spoke up trying to keep from laughing.

"How is that possible?" Dean asked with his arm around Ginny. Ron was glaring at the both of them.

"Well, it is possible for the Slayer to die and be revived," Xander said casually.

"And that would result in another being Chosen and since the first one is still alive poof! Two slayers," Willow joined in.

They both were doing quite well at keeping their faces neutral. Only a select few in the room actually knew that both of them had been the "revivers" of that particular slayer each time she died.

"There _are_ two slayers! I heard of it from one of Gram's friends who works at the Ministry. And they're staying at Hogwarts! And there is supposed to be more," Neville reiterated.

"All right I can understand there being two slayers, but more than that is far-fetched," Dean told him.

Ron was itching to burst that boy's bubble mostly because he was dating his sister and he didn't like Dean very much at the moment, but one stern glare from his girlfriend kept him silent.

"This coming from someone who lives in a world where the main method of travel is through a fireplace?" Wesley quipped.

"Erm…well…I guess it could be possible," Dean mumbled in embarrassment.

"So, Professor Lupin are you teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again? You were brilliant last time you taught," Neville inquired of Lupin hopefully.

"Afraid not Neville. Not to worry though, you won't get another one like Umbridge. This new professor is far more pleasant," Lupin assured him.

"She's kinda weird if you ask me," Jordan said.

"It's a lady? What's she like? And how do you know about her already if you just transferred?" Seamus asked staring at Jordan suspiciously.

"Well, um, me and my brother and Dawn were visiting the school during the summer and we met the teachers. Her name is Melissa Pennison. She's pretty young; early to mid-twenties I would say," Jordan informed him.

"So what's wrong with her?" Neville asked anxiously afraid the new professor would turn out like another Umbridge.

"Well, I guess she's nice enough and she's competent enough at the job. It's just that I think there's something strange about her." Jordan couldn't exactly tell all of them how Professor Pennison seemed almost afraid to look her in the eye. How the young woman seemed to distance herself from her student. She had spoken to Dawn about it and her friend had told she had experienced no such thing. The woman had been perfectly amiable towards her. Perhaps the woman was afraid of Jordan because she was a slayer and a witch. She never thought to ask Hermione how the teacher acted around her.

"Hmmm…is she pretty?" Seamus questioned.

Jordan shrugged her shoulders. "She's okay looking if a little thin and frail."

Dawn, Jordan, Aidan, Willow, Xander, Wesley, and Tonks were introduced to many other students who visited their compartments. Neville retold the story of the Ministry skirmish with a pride hardly ever seen in him. He had grown more confident over the summer and it shown brightly. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione had left to do prefect patrols and Harry was just counting down the minutes until Malfoy would show up and partake in his daily ritual of scorning and taunting. Harry found it didn't matter whether Malfoy showed up or not. Dawn looked impeccable in her pink shirt, blue jacket, and black skirt and that was more than enough to take his mind off his Slytherin rival.

"I can't believe you guys fought with Death Eaters. My parents have been fighting them for years and I still haven't had the chance to cross wands with one of them," Aidan remarked enviously.

"Well, I'm sure you will get the chance this year at Hogwarts. There is much excitement to be had," Dean replied.

"Isn't that the truth?" Harry mumbled dryly.

Dawn smirked at that remark. Much excitement was not anything new to her or her Scooby family. _Just wait until you hear some of my stoires._

Their compartment door slid open and Ron, Ginny, and Hermione slipped inside. Ron and Ginny had their hands pressed to their mouths as they tried to stifle fits of laughter and Hermione was grinning in amusement.

"Guys you have got to see Malfoy's face! He's all bruised up in the face and his lips is swollen to twice its size. It was bloody priceless! Jordan, you are my new hero!" Ron cried jubilantly.

Everyone's heads whipped towards Jordan and she twisted her hands sheepishly in guilt.

"What did you do?" Harry queried.

"Well, I sorta back-handed him in the face and sent him flying," she mumbled in reply.

Hermione's jaw dropped and she was caught between slapping Jordan on the back on a job well done or scolding her deaf.

"It was an accident! I swear! I didn't know he was there and it was all Fred and George's fault! They put the fricken worm in my bag!" she cried.

"Wow, can't say the girl doesn't know how to make a first impression," Xander commented.

"Don't worry Jordan, Malfoy is a slimy git. He deserved it," Neville told her in a hopes of comforting her.

That didn't make her feel any better. She didn't know this Malfoy too well (although he had been rather arrogant and surly in character) and didn't feel like he deserved anything from her. She fumbled in her pocket with her drops of healing potion that she always kept with her.

"Jordan! Don't waste that! It's only minor injuries," Aidan protested when he noticed what she planned to do.

"Hey I made it! I'll do with it what I please and I can't just let him walk around looking like that when it was my fault," she countered.

"Awww come one. Let him keep his trophies," Harry whined.

"Hey, he's never really done anything to me personally. If one of you want to give him a black eye be my guest," she stated shortly before walking out of the compartment to find him.

"Spoil-sport," Ron muttered.

It didn't take long for her to find him as his compartment was not far from the one she was staying in. She slid the door open to find a huge, troll-like boy in her way.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly spewing his pungent breath in her face.

"Um, is Draco Malfoy by any chance in there?" she asked.

"What's it to you?" he spoke again. _Note to self: give Troll Boy breath mints next time I see him._

"None of your business," she replied her patience running low.

The troll boy eyed her in a dazed, confused sort of way as if he never expected to be talked to like that. Jordan sighed in annoyance and tapped her foot impatiently. She could easily remove him from her path only it would lead to more questions she didn't want to answer yet.

"Hey, you, what's your name?" she asked.

"Goyle," he answered.

"Well, Goyle, aw screw it-" she pushed him through the doorway using only a fraction of her slayer strength and the troll boy stumbled back across the compartment. She pulled her wand out to make it seem like she had used it instead of her bare hands.

Draco was sitting away from the door Jordan was standing at. He frowned in anger and slight wariness at her. She shrugged and stepped inside twirling her wand in her hand. Sitting across from him buried in snack food boxes was another troll boy only a bit different looking than Goyle.

"You!" he exclaimed indignantly standing up.

Jordan was taken aback by his reaction, but figured he had the right to be pissed at her. She put her hands out in a gesture of goodwill and placation.

"Chill. I'm here to help. I figure I owe it to you since it's sort of my fault you're stuck in here," she stated.

"I've got a better idea—Why don't you sod off?" he spat.

Instead of taking offense Draco was stunned to see her smile in amusement.

"Man, you sound just like Spike," she whispered. "Look a good bit like him too."

Draco did not know who this Spike fellow was, but he was certain he did not want to be compared to him. Especially if the comparison was made by this wench. He sincerely hoped she wasn't in Slytherin. Realizing that his method of intimidation was not working on the Yank he resorted to sounding resentfully polite.

"Look, if you want to apologize just get on with it and leave," he said through gritted teeth.

Jordan sighed. He was making it really difficult to feel any sort of saintly feelings towards him. Perhaps he had deserved that punch. But she had been raised better than that so she took her vial out her pocket.

"Look, just let me fix you up and then I'll be out of your hair and we'll both be happy," she told him. "Just drink a few drops of this and your injuries will heal up before we get to Hogwarts."

Draco looked from the vial to her and then back to the vial again and then to her. He visibly scoffed and waved his hands in dismissal.

"You expect me to drink _that_? Do you take me for a half-wit?"

"I made it myself. It's a healing potion. It won't hurt you," she explained handing him the vial.

Draco took the vial and mulled it over. Her intentions seemed honorable, but he was disinclined to trust any daughter of a family of Aurors. After all he was from a family of Death Eaters and Death Eaters and Aurors really didn't get on well. His family had suffered a great humiliation when his father, Lucius Malfoy, was carted off to Azkaban a couple months back. Truthfully Draco felt no great loss at that. Draco and his father had never been real close. Lucius saw his son as an object to bend to his will and ever since Draco's elder sister betrayed them and got herself killed Lucius vowed that no other child of his would follow in her footsteps. Since Draco had been the only other child he had been subjected to his father's harsh dominance and beatings. Draco knew it had been his father that took his sister from him; the only person whom ever showed Draco any affection at all. But he still felt resentment and hatred towards Senna for abandoning him and finding an easy way out of their family.

"Well? Are you gonna take it or not?" Jordan inquired impatiently.

Draco scowled and hurled the vial across the room. It shattered and coated the wall in a sticky, purple ooze.

"You smarmy bastard! What did you do that for!?" Jordan cried angrily her honey eyes sparkling with ire.

"You really think I'm that stupid? Why would I take something from a girl who's been raised by Aurors? You must know about my father." Draco smirked at her outraged expression. He found himself thinking she looked quite fetching while angry, but banished the thought immediately. She was far below his league.

"God you are _so_ lucky I decked you already cuz if I hadn't I'd give you another one! And yes, I do know your father is in Azkaban, but that doesn't mean I'll poison you. Why would I care who your family is? And why the hell would I poison you here where there are clearly witnesses however retarded they may be?" Jordan kept her hands firmly at her side and ignored the urge to bitch-slap the prick. Of course she swore she would never resort to bitch-slapping again after having learned how to fight properly, but it seemed appropriate for this situation. "I was only trying to help, but you seem to like carrying around a black eye dealt by a girl so I'll leave you to it." She stomped out of the compartment before Draco could respond.

Thank God she wasn't in Slytherin! She didn't know how Dawn was going to stand it.

As the daylight dimmed and they bore ever closer to Hogwarts all the girls filed into one compartment along with Willow and Tonks to change into their uniforms. The boys took the one beside it. Dawn sighed unhappily when she noticed the red and gold trimmings of Hermione, Jordan, and Ginny's uniforms. Her own uniform was decked out in silver and green, which while pretty served to remind her further she would not be able to have anymore late-nighters with her friends. And it was made all the more worse by Jordan's description of Draco Malfoy who was a renowned figure in Slytherin House.

"I just can't wait to see the look on his face when Dumbledore makes the announcement of the slayers and everything," Jordan mumbled while hopping around on one foot trying to pull her socks on.

"You'll have to forgive my cousin. My aunt never raised him to have manners. Would surprise me if she had a hand in raising him at all," Tonks told her grimly.

"Is it too late to ask the hat to stick me in another house? Preferably Gryffindor?" Dawn asked.

"Sorry Dawn, from what I've read once the hat makes a decision it sticks to it," Hermione told her.

Dawn groaned. While she was excited about meeting even more young witches and wizards her spirits were slightly dampened by the prospect of having to live within the same area as people like Draco Malfoy. She hoped that he was as worse as it would get.

"But you'll be fine Dawn. After everything you've been through being in Slytherin should be as easy as pie," Jordan assured her. "Speaking of pie, will there be some at the Welcoming Feast?"

"I guess so. If not you could always go down to the kitchens and ask the house elves to whip up a few—argghhhh!"

Ginny's answer was cut off as the train went pitch black and lurched to a screeching stop throwing everyone off-balance and crashing to the floor.

"What was that?" Willow cried groping for Dawn in the darkness and finally muttering a spell to shed light.

"Oh no," Ginny whimpered remembering the last time something of this nature happened.

"_Lumos! _Is everyone all right?" Tonks asked, her wandtip alight.

Everyone declared themselves unharmed and those with wands lit them. The feeble lights shed by each wand put together with Willow's spell lit up the whole compartment in a eerie, white glow. Dawn felt like she was in a scene of some horror movie.

The boys clamored on the other side calling the girls' names out. The door slid open and Xander, Wesley and Lupin were there in front of the teens. The men's faces were grim and pale while the boys were slightly frantic. Harry, Seamus, Aidan, Ron, Dean, and Neville already had their own wands lit.

"Is anyone hurt?" Wesley asked.

"No, we're fine. You?" Willow replied her arm wrapped protectively around Dawn.

"We're okay. Any idea what the hell that was?" Xander questioned as the girls filled into the other compartment. Ginny instantly ran to her boyfriend's side her brother barely noticing as he was holding his own girlfriend at the moment.

"No, but the last time something like this happened a bunch of dementors had come onto the train," Harry said.

"Dementors?" Jordan eked out. She felt a shudder go through her and gulped. She never saw the grotesque creature personally, but heard enough about them from her parents and school to know they were things worth missing out on. She instinctively grabbed her brother's arm in comfort.

"Perhaps we should go investigate," Wesley suggested as his eyes went to the "bag of goodies" he and Xander had carried on to the train. It had been well guarded by Wiccan enchantments courtesy of Willow.

"Yes, I will go speak with the driver. Ginny, Ron, Hermione perhaps you should do your duties as prefects and try to keep the students calm," Lupin suggested pulling out his own wand and lighting it before he left.

"Maybe Hermione and I should go with you. It might be a demon," Jordan said forgetting that Seamus, Neville, and Dean were also in the compartment.

"Out there? Are you barking mad?" Dean exclaimed.

"She's right. We should go with whomever is going out there," Hermione agreed with false confidence.

"But-!" Ron began in protest, but Hermione quickly silenced him.

Wesley, who was technically in charge of the two slayers right at the moment, took a while to ponder over it and then nodded. "Only one of you though; one should stay on the train."

Jordan and Hermione exchanged glances and Hermione pointed to Jordan. "I hate to send her out there, but she has more experience in this than I do. I will stay here."

Ron breathed an audible sigh of relief and shot Jordan an apologetic look. She shrugged and picked up her bag.

"Aidan, Dawn, Harry, and you three boys help keep everyone else calm along with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny," Wesley instructed as he pulled a sword out of the bag.

"Merlin! Who are you people?" Seamus asked in awe.

"Um, well you know that whole thing about the slayers staying at Hogwarts? Well, we're sort of part of that. We'll explain later," Willow replied as Wesley handed her a crossbow.

Lupin returned to say that the driver had no idea what had stopped the train and only that there was something on the tracks. He had sent an owl ahead for assistance.

"Did you tell him to not let anyone on or off the train?" Wesley asked.

"Yes, and I told him that there were some people trained in this situation that were going to investigate and also there was an Auror on here. Who is going out there?" Lupin replied breathlessly.

"Me, Wesley, Willow, Jordan, and Xander are. You stay and keep Harry and the others safe," Tonks told him.

Harry scowled at the mention of his name. He hated when people fussed over keeping him safe despite the importance of his staying alive.

Dawn wanted to go out and help, but she knew Xander, Wesley, and Willow wouldn't let her and neither would Buffy had she been here. She resigned herself to helping Hermione and the others staying on the train. At least she would be able to stay close to Harry.

"Right then," Lupin whispered.

"Come on," Tonks said to the group going outside.

Aidan grabbed his twin's arm before she exited the compartment.

"Jordan, be careful. Mom and Dad made me promise to keep you in one piece," he told her seriously.

The light from his wand cast his face in a dim glow making his worried features more pronounced. Jordan smiled in reassurance to her brother.

"Have I ever let you down?" she questioned while laughing slightly.

He didn't laugh back.

As soon as the five got outside they split into two groups. Willow, Xander, and Tonks stayed on the side they came out of while Wesley and Jordan circled the back of the train and up the other side. The sky was dark and cloudy and the night had a slight chill to it. Jordan let her senses expand as she searched the area for any demonic or vampiric essences. Willow could also do this which was why the two were in a different group. She looked at the tiny, but deadly dagger she held in her hand and back at the sword Wesley carried. She wished she had thought to bring a sword.

"Here. I don't have another sword since Xander took the other, but I have a crossbow for you," Wesley said is if he had read her mind and handed her a compact, black crossbow.

"Thanks." Jordan beamed and slung it over her shoulder.

"Explain to me if you will what exactly dementors are," Wesley requested in a whisper.

"They guard wizard prisons mostly and they're like big giant sponges of happiness. Meaning that they suck it all out of you leaving you with nothing but your worse memories even those you hadn't remembered before. They feed off of happiness and cheerfulness and drive you insane which is why no one ever escapes from wizard prisons; they're too crazy from their memories. Only one has ever done it, a wizard named Sirius Black. And apparently he was innocent as his name was cleared just a few months back. The worse weapon a dementor has is something we call the Dementor's Kiss," she explained.

"Kiss?" Wesley almost laughed at the irony of that.

"Yeah, they suck your soul out through your mouth and leave you a living shell," she told him bluntly.

"Oh, they sound….formidable," he shakily replied thinking of some memories of his own he couldn't bear to relive.

"I know I would never want to meet one," she said smiling sardonically. Her smile melted off of her face and she froze.

"What?" Wesley questioned anxiously searching their area. They were near the front of the train with the woods were on one side with towering, ominous trees that could hide any number of predators. The sounds of nocturnal animals created some comfort for Wesley. If there were a lot of demons or Death Eaters in the woods it wouldn't be so noisy.

"Someone's watching us. I can feel them." Jordan's voice was barely audible and she had shifted her crossbow to ready it to fire instantaneously.

Suddenly a popping sound made them both jump and Jordan let out a shriek as something landed on her back.

With her crossbow aimed and her magic fired up Willow was prepped and ready for any attack. Tonks, as small as she was, looked like quite the opponent with her lovely pixie-like face set in stern determination and her wand clenched tightly in her hand. Her hair was a spiked in a bright bluish-green tint and added more to her unique charm. She really was quite a woman. Willow berated herself for thinking such things. First off: it was neither the time nor the place and second of all: after her short-lived relationship with Kennedy she wasn't too eager to begin another one.

"God I really wish Buffy was here," Xander whispered gripping his sword close.

Willow had to silently agree with him, but Buffy was at the castle along with Spike, Faith, Giles, and the rest of the slayers so they had to make do with what they had. She was set on everyone getting to Hogwarts safe and sound even if there were demons or Death Eaters lying in wait. They would be sorry they ever crossed paths with this Wicca!

"Will, got anything on the magical radar?" Xander asked.

"Not yet," she replied.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Tonks queried.

"Not sure," Willow said.

A cry of fright caused them all to halt in their tracks. It came from the other side of the train and sounded very familiar.

"Jordan," Tonks whispered and all three set off at a run to help their friends.

Hastemire couldn't believe how exhilarating this was. He could practically feel the fear pouring off the occupants of the train and the five outside of it. He knew that Willow and the slayer-witch would sense his presence sooner or later, but he planned to stay as long as he could to watch. He must see their reactions to the present Voldemort had bid him to give to them. He had used his magic to stop the train and disable all the lights. It created the perfect effect and he relished it.

He watched the young slayer prowl like a cat alongside the Muggle man. Her body was tense and she gripped a wand and a dagger in each hand while a crossbow was slung over her back. The man and the girl were talking about Dementors. She was explaining what the creatures were and the man seemed quite perturbed by it and rightly so. Hastemire didn't care much for the creatures himself.

He stiffened slightly when the girl stopped and told the man that someone was watching them. _Took her long enough_, he thought lazily. It was no matter because he had his emergency portkey with him that would activate with a single word. It was made especially for him and needed words invoked with Wiccan magic to activate the portkey. To a wizard or witch it was useless. Even if the girl found him he could easily fry her and the man before Willow and the others could reach them and simply portkey out of there. Willow he knew he was no match for. Not just yet. He didn't plan on fighting her anyway. He planned on keeping her for his own.

His head jerked up in surprise and a frown formed on his face when the girl screamed.

"Jesus Christ! Jinx! Give me a fricken heart attack why doncha?!" Jordan held her hand to her chest, the matter of the something or someone watching them temporarily forgotten.

Her red-gold phoenix nipped her affectionately from her seat on her shoulder. Phoenixes had the ability to apparate and disapparate at will and Jinx had chosen to apparate right on her human's shoulder at that moment. Impeccable timing.

"Amazing," Wesley remarked after he calmed down quite a bit.

"Shut up," Jordan snapped still trying to bring her breathing back down to normal. "God I think she just cut twenty years off my life."

Wesley chuckled and ran his hands over the beautiful mystical bird.

"It's not funny! You freaked too!" Jordan cried.

"Jordan! Wesley!" came Willow's frantic voice.

She, Tonks, and Xander were racing towards the pair. They must have heard Jordan scream.

"Are you guys all right?" Xander asked worriedly between gasps for breath.

"We're fine. Apparently Jordan's phoenix decided to pay us a visit," Wesley explained while grinning good-naturedly while Jordan scowled.

"Merlin you caused us a fright!" Tonks exclaimed.

"You were scared?! She apparated right on my shoulder!" Jordan shouted.

"Um guys?" Xander spoke up.

"Really Jordan, you're a slayer now. Shouldn't you be used to this sort of thing?" Tonks asked.

"Guys?" Xander repeated more urgently.

"What the hell?! I've only been a slayer for like three months total!" Jordan bellowed.

"Guys!!!" Xander yelled.

"What!?" everyone shouted in reply.

"I think the reason the train is stopped is right there," he pointed shakily to a dark shape lying on the tracks.

Dawn held her wand in front of her to light up her face as she sat amidst a throng of scared first and second years. The young witches and wizards were nearly hysterical with fright at why the train had stopped so suddenly and the loss of light. So Dawn had seized upon the first anti-hysteric technique she could think of. She sat down and gathered the children to her and told them fairy tales. Her mother used to do that when Dawn had been younger whenever the girl had suffered from nightmares. Topic of choice was fairy tales. Most of the Muggle-born students were already familiar with fairy tales, but the familiarity gave them something to cling on to in their fear.

Harry leaned against the compartment door watching Dawn in admiration. She was telling them to tale of Jack and the Beanstalk and most of the kids had forgotten there was even a crisis going on. He wasn't very experienced in the area of comforting others during a crisis. It appeared as if that talent had attached itself to the X-chromosome because Ginny, Hermione, and Dawn were pros at it.

Aidan quietly joined Harry in the doorway to watch Dawn. While the young American wizard had done his best to comfort the other students (he seemed to have acquired far more female attention in this course of action than he expected) Harry knew he was too busy worrying himself sick over his twin.

"I'm sure they'll be back on any time now," Harry told him sounding far less confident than he meant to.

Aidan offered a smile, but it was half-hearted. Well, he definitely wasn't the optimistic type Harry concluded. Hermione entered from the other compartment side and navigated her way through the ten-, eleven-, and twelve-year-olds on the floor.

"How are things on your end?" she whispered.

Aidan simply gave her a thumbs-up in reply.

"I wish I knew what was wrong. I can't stand not knowing," Hermione whispered in frustration.

"I'm sure whatever it is the Jordan and the rest out there can handle it," Harry said his voice again sounding strained to put confidence in it.

Aidan looked away wistfully towards the exit and muttered, "I hope you're right."

Xander, Willow, Tonks, Wesley, and Jordan approached the thing lying on the tracks cautiously. They were all bunched together closely and not one of them uttered a word.

It was a boy; or what once was a boy. He looked about eleven or twelve in age from his body size and judging from his clothing he had probably been a Muggle child. His clothing was soaked with blood and he reeked of it. His body lay at an unnatural angle with his limbs all out of their normal positions and twisted around each other. His hazel eyes were open and stared at out the five people with the dull, blank stare of a corpse. Branded onto his face was an outline of the Dark Mark. This was Voldemort's work or if not him then one of his Death Eaters.

"Oh my God," Willow cried backing away from the body.

"That sick bastard," Xander cursed in mingled disgust, horror, and anger.

Tonks was not used to seeing this sort of thing. As an Auror she was far more accustomed to the invisible injuries dealt by curses. Seeing the result of physical torture displayed on an innocent child was far more than she could bear and she turned away from the sight. Jordan stood rooted to her spot unable to tear her eyes away from the boy's. She kept telling her treacherous body to turn around because her partially digested lunch from earlier was about to make a reappearance, but it was determined to remain where it was. Jinx had flown off of her shoulder and landed beside the boy's body. She prodded him gently and when he didn't move she began to gently trill a mournful tune. It was enough to break Jordan from her trance and she crumpled to her knees and retched up the contents of her stomach.

Wesley had slowly approached the boy and kneeled down beside him. His soul raged at the inhumanity of this act; at the outright barbarism. What sort of a thing that was supposed to have a soul would do such a thing to a child? He knew Voldemort didn't like Muggles, but this was beyond what the young watcher thought him capable of. He leaned over and gently closed the boy's eyes to hide the empty hazel orbs. Jinx's heartbreaking lament was close to reducing the man to tears, but he held onto his composure and draped his brown jacket over the boy. He hoped to God that wherever the boy was it was far better than what he had endured to get there.

"Willow?" he uttered turning round to see the redheaded Wicca weeping silently.

She looked at Wesley and he stood up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm going to have to ask you to perform a spell on him to transfigure him into something else just until we get to Hogwarts and then we show Dumbledore and the proper authorities. Naturally we can't bring him onto the train in his current state," he told her softly.

She nodded and bravely approached the corpse. Xander was leaning over the boy shaking his head.

"God, seven years of shit like this and I'm still not used to the smell or the sight," he murmured.

"They've never been as young as this. None that I've seen," Willow whispered as she kneeled down beside the child. She tentatively reached a hand out to touch his brown hair. It was curly and hung down past his ears. While the rest of his body had been in some way mutilated or stained with blood his hair remained untainted. She focused on that particular aspect as she worked at changing his appearance. He shrank into the form of a tattered, brown cloak. Wesley gathered it into his arms and commenced the short trek back to the train. Willow rubbed her tears away and helped Tonks up who was looking quite pale and stricken. She led the small Auror back to the train.

"Wait! Shouldn't we search the area a bit longer?" Xander said.

"There's nothing here," Jordan replied shakily trying to stand up and not look at what had been in her stomach only moments ago.

"I think that was all he wanted us to see for now," Willow said bitterly.

"Too bad, cuz I would have gone for demons. Definitely demons," Jordan mumbled still not able to make herself stand. "God, he was just a kid. He was the same age as those first-years in there. He was innocent. I didn't think…I didn't think." Her voice tightened up and she shook from withheld sobs.

Xander pulled the girl up and held her up. Her reaction to all this completely surprised him. He figured that as a slayer she would be able to handle this, but in many ways she was still as fragile as the next sixteen-year-old girl. Jinx fluttered by and perched on his shoulder. The bird was silent now, but her very presence made Xander feel better as he helped Jordan walk back to the train.

Back at the Lord Voldemort's hideout Hastemire grinned in satisfaction to himself. It had been he who had introduced the benefits of physical torture to the dark wizard. Voldemort mostly used curses and the like, but he had quickly warmed up to his servant's idea.

"Oh what fun there will be to be had," he whispered his dark brown eyes gleaming maniacally before proceeding to his lord's chambers to tell him of their success.

Yeah, Draco is still an arrogant prick. Can't hardly change him so quickly.

**lark277: **Next chapter, which I should be finishing within the hour will show the Slytherin-Dawn reactions. Jordan probably will eventually end up with Draco, but that will not be for a long, _long_ time because as you have read he is still a bigoted jerk. His sister might have more of a hand in changing him than Jordan will, however. That is if he ever finds out she's alive. I'm sorry you feel that way about Spike. But no he will not get with Buffy so I'm glad you're relieved about that. I look forward to hearing more from you.

**Silver Warrior: **You are absolutely right about Percy, Fudge, and Spike. Although I do hope to redeem Percy for Mrs. Weasley's sake.

**vampy the choosen one: ** Well, I guess they could have. But don't worry. They will have their fun with Fudge. And hopefully the Weasleys will sew that little tear between them and Percy. Dawn-Slytherin interaction next chapter. Poor Dawnie.

**Chaotic reign: **Well thanks and I'm glad you like her. Perhaps some fights will occur and if they're against normal people of course she'll come out on top. I'm pretty sure the pairings you mentioned. Hermione/Ron, well of course them cuz they're already together and Harry/Dawn are the only for sure ones. Hope you liked how Jordan and Drakey first met.

**matt: **That fight over superheroes was inspired by own fight about them over one of my friends. I'm a spiderman fan and she's all for superman. I thought it would be funny.

**NoAlias: **Yeah believe me it has been hectic here. But with summer coming it should be a helluva lot easier to write and update. Provided my summer job doesn't get in the way too much.

**lightdemondarkangel: **Hehe. You'll have to wait and see.

Thanks also to **Robin R. Smith**, **Raven-Padfoot-Marauder**, **A Watcher**, and **J Potter. **And I have to get off the computer as soon as I'm done here because my sister is an impatient little brat. God I hate only having one computer working. Sorry I will update as soon as I get back on.


	24. Chapter Twentyfour

Finally here is your second half of my update. It's rather later than I intended, but it's in. Thanks to my reviewers; I will respond next chapter. I made Faith's last name on a spur-of-the-moment thing so just go with it.

The train had started working again shortly after Willow, Tonks, Wesley, Xander, and Jordan returned. They were not far from Hogwarts; only a half-hour or so. That time had been spent by Dawn, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Aidan, Seamus, Neville, and Dean trying to coax something as to what had happened out there. Something must've happened; the sickly white faces of Tonks and Jordan were proof enough.

Jordan was distant and quiet and curled up in a corner when she got back on the train. Aidan sat next to her with Jinx in his lap patting his sister's shoulders and glancing worriedly back at everyone else. The students kept inquiring as to where the tattered cloak had come from, but Wesley was silent on it and told them he would tell them when he saw fit. No one else was very forthcoming either and it was making Harry and Dawn, who were always tetchy at being withheld information, extremely frustrated. Neville, Seamus, and Dean repeatedly asked who the new students were and why they had weapons with them until Hermione told them to shut up and that all would be explained later.

The Hogwarts Express finally arrived at its destination and Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were off directing the younger students to their proper places. Hagrid was there as usual with his large lamp calling out,

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" He was very quick at gathering the small witches and wizards to him and loading them in their boats.

"Professor Lupin! Dumbledore say yer teh portkey up to his office straightaway. You and Tonks and Mr. Wyndam-Pryce, and Miss Rosenberg, and Mr. Harris. I got the key righ' here," Hagrid informed Lupin as he searched his pockets.

Indeed the instrument was a key and he handed it to Lupin. Lupin gathered Wesley, Tonks, Xander, and Willow to him and explained. After making sure Dawn would be all right Xander and Willow agreed to go with them.

"Wait! Let me take Jordan with you guys. I think she needs to go to the Hospital Wing. She's not looking so good," Aidan requested his arm held tightly around Jordan.

"Yes, of course. Come here," Lupin beckoned them over and bid them to lay a finger on the portkey.

Harry and the rest watched them disappear and then walked over to the carriages driven by the partly invisible thestrals. Only those who had seen death could see them so naturally Dawn gasped when saw them. Harry was at first shocked that she could see them and then he mentally smacked himself in the head. Of course she would be able to see them.

"What are those things? And how come most everyone else seems find and dandy with them?" she questioned Harry.

"Most of them can't see them. They're called thestrals. Neville and I can see them and a girl from Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood—she was with me and my friends at the Ministry a couple months back, remember I told you?—and there was some other kid. But only those who've seen death can see them," he explained grimly.

"Oh," she murmured eyeing the gruesome creatures warily. "Go figure."

When they reached the castle the students were brimming with excitement over what had happened with the train. Rumors were already spreading as to why it had happened and now that they were within the safety of the castle walls they were no longer afraid. They were beginning to separate into their four houses and Dawn sighed and said goodbye to her friends as she walked over to the Slytherin group. A pug-faced young lady scrutinized her with glittering dark eyes full of suspicion.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked imperiously.

Dawn frowned at her tone of voice. Apparently it was a trait among the Slytherins to think the world bowed down to them. Jordan said Draco Malfoy acted much the same way towards her.

"With the rest of my housemates. What's it to you?" Dawn shot back.

The girl quirked an eyebrow and looked Dawn over skeptically. A short blonde woman came barreling through the mass of students to engulf the supposed Slytherin girl in a hug.

"Dawn! Thank God you're all right!" the woman cried.

"Do you know what happened Buffy?" Dawn asked after the woman released her.

"Not yet. Giles, Faith, and I and some Aurors are being summoned to Dumbledore's office where we'll find out. I heard Jordan was taken to the infirmary though. What happened to her?" Buffy asked with concern.

"I don't know. She came back from outside and she looked all pale and she was shaking quite a bit. I couldn't see any physical wounds though," Dawn told her.

Buffy bit her bottom lip as she contemplated this. "I'll check on her when Dumbledore is finished briefing us. Her parents were summoned anyway because of what happened. No doubt they'll be wanting to get this over with so they can see her."

Dawn smiled humorously over Buffy's newfound grammar. "You sound all general-like. It's kinda funny."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Well it comes with the territory. I better get up to Dumbledore's office before they start without me."

"Ok, I'll see you at the Welcoming Feast. There is still going to be one, right?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"Oh yeah. Dumbledore wants to keep things as normal as possible. We won't take long," she replied.

As soon as Buffy left Dawn turned back to the Slytherin girl who was eyeing her with even more suspicion and some confusion.

"Oh. That was my sister, Buffy. I'm Dawn Summers." Dawn held out her hand for the girl to shake and the girl just looked at her and blinked.

"Pansy Parkinson. So what are you? Mudblood or Pureblood?" she asked bluntly.

Dawn gripped her bag nervously as she contemplated on how to answer that. She figured she might as well be honest about being Muggle-born. They were bound to find out sooner or later.

"I was raised a Muggle. But since I lived in Sunnydale, the Hellmouth in Southern California, my signal was sorta blocked. I was sorted while I stayed at Hogwarts for tutoring during the summer," Dawn explained keeping her voice as cheerful and nonchalant as possible.

"You can't be in Slytherin if you're a Mudblood. So either you're impersonating a Slytherin and are a filthy little Mudblood or you're joking," Pansy declared.

Dawn sighed in frustration. Already she could tell it was going to be a long school year. "Look, I don't know why you people hate Muggles and Muggle-borns so much, but I can tell you right now that people like me are no different than you. In fact I think if it weren't for Muggles your kind would have died out. But I _am_ in Slytherin and I don't the think the hat would have stuck me there if it believed I didn't belong there. So either deal with it or get out of my way. I'm hungry."

Pansy's eyes nearly popped out of her head in shock of being spoken to that way by a Muggle-born. She stiffened and looked the girl, who was a few inches taller than her, straight in the eye.

"You would do well to remember what house you're in then and learn not to speak to those who could make your life a living hell that way. _You_ stay out of my way Mudblood bitch," she snarled before walking over to a group of girls in Slytherin uniforms.

Dawn groaned inwardly when she started pointing to her and the girls started gasping and staring at her like she was a disgusting bug in dire need of being squished. She didn't bother hanging around to confront the lot of them and found a place at the Slytherin table among the second and third years. She caught Harry's eye and he smiled in encouragement to her which sent goosebumps rising on her skin. God that boy had one wicked smile! Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Seamus waved to her and she returned the waves earning many glares from her housemates. Why was a Slytherin waving to Gryffindors in any way other than to taunt?

She looked for Draco Malfoy so she could fix his image in her mind and remember his face. Living in Sunnydale had made Dawn develop the habit of knowing potential enemies. She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when she didn't see a sixteen-year-old boy with white-blonde hair. She had been looking forward to a confrontation with him.

Dumbledore closed his eyes in sorrow tinged with disgust when Willow undid her transfiguration spell on the boy. Everyone in the office gasped and backed away at the utter horror of the sight. The only people who seemed apparently unaffected were Mad-Eye Moody and Professor Snape. Moody's real eye was staring at the boy through emotionless eyes and his fake eye was whirling around in his head. Snape's gaze was glued to the boy his greasy hair concealing most of his face. His dark eyes were unreadable as he looked the boy over.

"God, this is…this is….," Faith whispered trying to search for words that seemed appropriate.

"Monstrous?" Mr. Firewell offered.

Buffy just sighed and found herself thinking, _Well, I shoulda seen that one coming._ While it was unthinkable that a human being would commit such an act all one had to do was look at the history of the world to see that it was possible. She was relieved that Willow and Wesley had been sensible enough to hide this from the students. If Jordan had been affected as badly as they said she couldn't imagine how the normal students would have taken it. This heinous act only proved the madness and cruelty of the man they were dealing with.

"Do you know who he is…erm…was?" Faith inquired.

"No, but we're sure he was a Muggle," Wesley replied quietly.

Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them thoroughly. It was a method, Buffy had learned, that her watcher employed so he wouldn't be able to see what was going on around him. Buffy sometimes envied him for that respite.

"What are we going to do with him? Keep him and examine him or give him back to the Muggle world so they can take care of it as they see fit?" Willow asked.

"I would propose that we turn his body over to Wolfram and Hart so Fred and her team can examine him further. With their resources they can detect magical and non-magical presences on his body," Wesley suggested.

As was expected a chorus of protests followed after. Willow, being stressed out already, shouted for everyone to shut up and by the look on the Wicca's face everyone figured it was wise to obey.

"Wes is right. We don't have time to keep arguing over it so just go with it," she snapped wearily.

Dumbledore almost smiled at Willow's take-charge attitude. "Well, if the rest of you do not mind I have a Welcoming Feast to attend. I would like to keep things at my school running as smoothly as possible. Mr. Wyndam-Pryce I trust you may handle things in the case of this unfortunate child. I request that after you are done examining him that you return his body back to the Muggle world so his family can hopefully find him," he implored Wesley.

"Of course," Wesley replied.

The people in Dumbledore's office went their separate ways. Wesley prepared to contact Fred while Buffy, Faith, Giles, Xander, Willow, Professor Snape, and Professor Dumbledore left for the Dining Hall. The students were awaiting their annual Welcoming speech from Dumbledore and were all expecting explanations as to why there was an addition of over thirty teenage girls who sat at a table of their own.

"There they are!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw Professor Dumbledore and his party enter.

"About time! I'm starving!" Ron moaned. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You think you're starving? I threw up everything I ate today which amounts to nothing in my stomach right now," Jordan's voice broke in.

She was still looking rather paler than usual, but she was no longer shaking and looking around furtively. She gave the others a faint smile in reassurance of her health. Aidan followed her looking very peeved that she would not cooperate with his, Buffy's, their parents', or Madame Pomfrey's wishes of staying in the Hospital Wing.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Other than really _really _hungry, I'll live. I just need a while to absorb it all," she replied and noticing the blank looks on their faces sighed. "You guys don't know what happened."

"Nobody has been talking yet," Ginny told her.

Jordan had told her brother what had caused her to lose it so shamefully and her parents were filled in by Dumbledore. Aidan was shocked that Voldemort would do such a thing to a child and understood how his sister would react like that. Her feelings had perked up a little when she noticed Draco Malfoy was also in the school infirmary trying to get his bruised face healed as quickly as possible. _Tut, tut Draco, if you had let me help you on the train you wouldn't be in this predicament. _She waved to her fellow slayers at the table they were sitting at which was situated diagonally towards Gryffindor table. She noticed Dean, Seamus, and Neville staring at her suspiciously.

"Are those girls slayers?" Neville asked.

Jordan shrugged, but offered the boy a small smile. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you a slayer too?" he queried.

She didn't answer but winked at him and turned her attention to the teachers' table where Dumbledore was standing to give his speech. The hall silenced abruptly.

"On behalf of all the staff at Hogwarts I welcome all new and previous students to Hogwarts. I know you all have been through much today after your train ride here, but I assure you that all is being taking care of and you have nothing to worry about. This year is a very special year as we have some guests staying at Hogwarts as I'm sure you have seen. I understand that the Ministry has announced the return of Voldemort and I'm sure many of you are very frightened about what is to come. I say to you now that as long as we band together and do not let petty differences divide us we will prevail against our foe however dangerous he may be." Dumbledore ignored the visible flinches of the majority of the people in the dining hall at hearing the dark lord's name.

"Since the return of the dark lord new precautions are being laid down. Everyone is to be in their dorms by nine o'clock, unless given special permission to be elsewhere. Prefects will continue normal patrols and they will be assisted of which I will explain further on."

"The Forbidden Forest is off-limits to everyone now unless expressed otherwise. Should you need to go in there for whatever reason, you will be escorted by Hagrid or one of the young ladies at that table right over there. Moving on as to why one of them will escort you: Will Miss Buffy Summers and Miss Faith Aldens please rise?"

Two young women sitting at the table full of teenage girls rose at Dumbledore's call. Both beautiful in their own way, the shorter one with the blonde hair having more of a freer, lighter beauty while the taller woman with the dark hair and dark eyes had a more alluring, dark beauty to her. Many young men leaned forward in their seats to get a better look and a few catcalls were made. The short blonde woman rolled her eyes while the taller raven-haired one smirked.

"As I am sure many of you have heard we have the privilege of having the Vampire Slayers as our guests and allies. The two standing are the original slayers. Miss Summers is the elder slayer and the first Chosen—she is the one on the right—and Miss Aldens is the second Chosen. Most have already heard of these two but due to events at the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, California in America there are now thousands of slayers worldwide. We also have two slayer-witches among us. They both have not spoken against having their identities known so will Miss Jordan Firewell please rise and Miss Hermione Granger?"

A flutter of astonished gasps arose when they heard that one of their own was a slayer. Neville looked over at Dean and Seamus with a smug grin that said _I told you so!_ They were both too busy goggling at their new classmate and old classmate in awe and sudden understanding. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, Hermione's roommates, were staring at Hermione with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"Yes, one of our own is among the Chosen. Miss Firewell is accompanied by her twin brother, Mr. Aidan Firewell, and their parents are among the most elite of Aurors from the United States of America and are also among our allies. I will now introduce Miss Summers' and Miss Aldens' companions: Mr. Rupert Giles is Miss Summers' watcher and current head of the new Watcher's Council, which is being rebuilt as we speak and is in dire need of watchers. Any students interested are to speak to him or his fellow watcher, Mr. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, who is not here at the moment. In addition we have Miss Summers' younger sister, Dawn, who is in Slytherin House. Two of Miss Summers' friends are here: Mr. Alexander Harris, he prefers to be called Xander—yes thank you for the reminder—and Miss Willow Rosenberg. I trust everyone here will treat them with the respect they deserve as you do owe them your lives for quite a number of times am I not mistaken?" His eyes twinkled ironically at that.

"As for the decrees set down by our former High Inquisitor: they are hereby all revoked and any clubs any of you wish to form are allowed provided they are appropriate. Now that I have kept you from your dinner long enough I say these words—Live long and prosper!" Giggles from many Muggle-born students erupted from that saying and food finally appeared on their plates.

"Finally!" Jordan cried in relief as she instantly began wolfing down her dinner.

The two slayer-witches were not to eat in peace, however, because many students were bombarding them with questions. Jordan received the brunt of it since she was new to the school and she was extremely annoyed at how a third of those questions involved her brother being available. She craned her neck to find Dawn among the Slytherin students. Dawn's housemates seemed to think twice about giving her trouble about her heritage after finding out she was the younger sister of the eldest living slayer. Many had heard stories about that particular slayer and did not think it wise to anger her. They settled for sending her hateful glowers which she pointedly ignored. She caught Jordan's eye and when her friend beckoned her over Dawn picked up her plate and went to sit at the Gryffindor table. A few Gryffindors glared at her as if she had no right to be sitting at their table, but Dawn ignored them as well.

"Hey, how are you feeling? What happened out there?" Dawn asked as soon as she sat down.

Jordan looked down. "Could we talk about that later? I really don't wanna think about it just now. Really doesn't do any good since it's practically burned onto my brain, but at least not talking about it just yet helps."

Though her curiosity was only sharpened by that remark Dawn kept quiet on the subject. She also suffered the somewhat irritating, but somewhat flattering dozens of questions employed by the curious Hogwarts students.

"Harry, are you back on the Quidditch team?" Seamus asked.

"Yeah, I asked McGonagall during the summer and she let me back on," Harry replied not bothering to say that he was a sound candidate for the position of captain. McGonagall had yet to answer his question on that.

"Are you two trying out for the team?" Dean asked Jordan and Aidan.

"Yeah, we were chasers back at Cristallon," Aidan answered.

"I think you should be a beater Jordan. With that slayer-strength you would be perfect," Neville told her.

"Yeah, but because of that slayer-strength I could kill someone. It's best if I just stick with my chaser position. It's the only one I'm good at anyway," Jordan said.

"So, did they know about you being a slayer at your school?" Dean asked her.

"Well, when I was there I was a potential slayer until I went to the Hellmouth to fight the First Evil with Buffy and Faith. And then Willow, who's a Wicca, turned all potentials into slayers. Right in the nick of time too since we were fighting these really strong and ancient vampires called Turok-Hans. They're a lot harder to kill than the normal type," she explained. The young slayer frowned when she noticed a certain vampire was not at the feast.

"Dawn? Where's Spike?" she whispered to her friend.

Dawn looked around for the familiar bleach-blonde in his trademark leather duster, but failed to find him. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating.

"Guess he didn't feel much like being introduced," she said simply.

"Hermione did you go to the Hellmouth to fight?" Neville queried.

"God no! They didn't know I was a potential and I hadn't the training. When they did that spell I was of course, um, activated, and I wrote to Professor Dumbledore about it. He took me to Los Angeles, well he took me to Jordan and Aidan's house first and then we went to Los Angeles where all was explained. I was trained by Buffy and Faith during the summer and I will continue to be trained throughout the school year," she told them.

"Wow. I can't believe it. Teacher's pet is a vampire slayer!" Dean quipped.

Ron snorted, but covered it with a cough. Hermione cocked an eyebrow and Dean wisely decided to be interested in his food.

After everyone had had their second or third helpings of dinner the plates were magically cleared and Dumbledore rose again.

"I imagine you all are very tired and probably very curious about our guests. But I am afraid now is not the time for questions it is the time for rest so prefects, if you will?"

Dawn said her goodbyes to her friends while receiving another heart stopping smile from Harry. She returned the favor and took a leaf out of Jordan's book by winking at him, which served to redden his face quite a bit. She ambled over to the group of Sixth-year girls which included the imperious Pansy Parkinson. A very large girl with rather unlady-like muscles threw Dawn a smoldering glower. Dawn smiled cheekily at her in true Spike fashion. A boy with white-blonde hair whom Dawn guessed must be the infamous Draco Malfoy was leading the Slytherins to their dorms. A look of disdain flitted over his face when he saw Dawn. Obviously he had been warned about her, but he seemed to think his prefect duties more important at the moment or he just wasn't eager to start a row between a slayer's younger sister. While Dawn was appreciative that they were afraid of what Buffy might do were they to taunt and ridicule her sister Dawn wanted to be able to stand up for herself and not have to depend on Buffy.

She shivered instinctively at the chilliness of the halls leading towards Slytherin Tower. She was used to the warmth of Gryffindor Tower and was sorely disappointed when she finally entered the Slytherin Common Room. While not much different looking than the Gryffindors' with silver and green upholstery in place of the red and gold it was a lot less homey and more gloomy in appearance. And it was far too chilly for the tastes of a girl raised in southern California. Her things were already stowed away in the girls' dormitory courtesy of the house elves so she trudged up there after the other girls to change into her pajamas.

When Dawn spotted her luggage she sauntered over by that bed and searched through her belongings for her pajamas. Her search was interrupted by someone shoving all her things off that bed and sending them scattering all over the floor. Dawn slammed her suitcase shut and looked her offender in the eye.

"This is _my _bed!" Pansy declared malevolently.

"God what is your deal?! Seriously!?" Dawn shot back.

"My deal is there is a filthy little American Mudblood who thinks she can be one of us," Pansy hissed.

"Well like I said before: Deal. With. It. Cuz it's not gonna change any time soon," Dawn snapped irritably gathering her things and dumping them on the bed farthest in the corner.

"You little bitch!" Pansy cried walking over to Dawn and swinging her arm in an attempt to slap her. Now this was not the wisest course of action on Pansy's part. Apart from the obvious aspect of Dawn being sister to a slayer, she also could defend herself.

Pansy swung hard only to meet with air. Dawn had ducked the poorly executed hit and lashed out a foot to trip Pansy. The Slytherin girl let out a shriek and crashed to the ground while Dawn quickly pulled her wand out to point it at the other girls, particularly the large one, who were descending on her.

"Don't even think I will not use this! I may not be a slayer, but you don't grow up with the Slayer and not learn a thing or two. And I have faced things so much scarier than you your intimidation factors don't even register on my meter. So you're much wiser just backing off and leaving me the hell alone because I will not hesitate to hex one of you or beat the crap out of you," Dawn spat, full of indignation and ire. While she doubted she could actually beat the crap out of the large girl, she knew she could take the others and there was always her trusty wand.

The girls were stunned into halting until one by one they took Dawn's words to heart and moved into their beds. The large girl helped Pansy up who was giving Dawn the most hateful, righteously pissed off look she could muster. The large girl, however, was giving Dawn a thoughtful look tinged by what appeared to almost be respect.

When she was sure that none of the girls would try attacking her again Dawn quickly changed into her pajamas and crawled under her covers. She spent her time while trying to fall asleep thinking of how everything would have been different had she been in Gryffindor. _Probably a helluva lot more pleasant and not so much threatening. _But she was determined not to be scared by these pompous Slytherins. She knew they all weren't like that because a fair few of the first and second years she had told stories to on the train were in Slytherin and they had been rather sweet. That may have just been their fear speaking at the time, but she was sure they were the more pleasant type. A strange grin formed on her face right before she fell asleep. She was actually anticipating the confrontation the boys would give her tomorrow. _That should actually be fun_, was her last thought before losing consciousness.


	25. Chapter Twentyfive

Summer is here! Good god it took long enough! I have finished the 10th grade finally! And now I have Driver's Ed and a job to look forward to. Eek I will be driving soon. Pray for me. My friend got into an accident a last week, but thankfully she and her mom are fine and they are getting big fat checks for pain and suffering. I just think it casts a bad omen, but oh well. I really want to drive.

I did the same thing with writing too much in one chapter, so I split it up again. The second half will take a bit longer to get in, but it shouldn't be too long. Thanks to my reviewers!

"These are your patrol schedules and keep in mind that these can be changed and rearranged and so on and so forth. And may I remind you that none of you are to go off alone when patrolling outside! You must have _at least_ one other slayer with you," Buffy reiterated to the young slayers, her firm voice reverberating off the walls.

"And for the ones that are alone you guys will be patrolling the castle with the school prefects. And some of these are guys and I know it might be tempting, but keep your libidos under control. Slaying can get a girl wicked horny, right B?" Faith told them, her dark eyes glinting with humor.

Faith's remark woke the girls out of their early morning stupor and they giggled scandalously. Hermione reddened slightly when some of the girls winked at her; they knew she was dating a prefect. Jordan was oddly silent when normally she would have nudged Hermione and snickered sardonically. The girl had her head down and was staring at her hands which were folded on her lap.

Hermione had an inkling that Jordan was still reeling from seeing that boy's body last night. Buffy had explained to her about it this morning and she was shamefully relieved that she had not gone out there. If Jordan reacted in such a way she couldn't imagine how she would have reacted had she seen such horrible sight.

"As for these wandless defense classes: if any of you girls want to assist in these just talk to me, Faith, Giles, or Wesley. And please take care around the students; they're a lot more breakable than you guys." Buffy distinctly narrowed her eyes at Jordan and a lot of the slayers snorted remembering how Jordan accidentally decked a boy on Platform 9 ¾.

Hermione frowned when Jordan didn't even say anything to that or look up. Buffy and Faith seemed to notice Jordan's disconnected behavior and they both exchanged worried glances.

"Well, I guess breakfast is just about to start up so why don't you girls go get some grub," Faith said her eyes still intent on Jordan who was rising, her head still turned downwards.

Hermione quickly pulled her friend aside when they stepped out of the slayers' quarters. "Are you all right? You haven't exactly been yourself this morning. I mean, you were quiet last night too during Parvati and Lavender's interrogation."

Jordan took a deep breath and rubbed at her eyes. "I guess I was just tired." Her voice was flat and devoid of warmth.

"Jordan, is it that….boy?" Hermione asked carefully.

Jordan's honey eyes clouded over in pain and she leaned back against the wall. "I saw him last night in my dreams and I couldn't get any sleep. I can still see him now, his empty hazel eyes staring out at me. It was horrible Hermione. It had just hit me right when we got to our dorms what had happened to him; what I had seen," she confided, her voice cracking.

Hermione looked her over in sympathy and she put an arm around her friend. "It must be. I'm so sorry, but you must remember that it's not your fault, what happened to him."

"No, I know it's not my fault. It was just…I was such a wimp. I _threw up_! What kind of a slayer throws up and nearly passes out when she sees a dead body no matter how young and innocent or how mutilated it was? I mean, I lost it Hermione! Xander had to nearly carry me back to the train and then Aidan practically drags me to the infirmary," Jordan's voice was filled with shame and anger directed at herself.

Hermione's eyes widened in understanding. "Jordan that doesn't make you weak. If I had seen that body I probably would have done the same thing or maybe I _would _have passed out. It just means you have heart and that you aren't dead of emotion like Buffy said slayers can come to be. Trust me I would be really worried if it hadn't effected you at all," she assured her.

Hermione could feel some of Jordan's tension dissipate at her words and her brows furrowed in thought. "You think so? You think it was normal?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't pretend to be an expert Jordan, but I'm sure Buffy or Faith would say the same thing. Even if it's not normal we all have weaknesses. It's what makes us human," Hermione said wisely.

A wraith of a smile flitted over Jordan's lips. What Hermione had said made her feel a lot better, but that still didn't solve the problem of seeing that boy's glassy hazel eyes. A rumble in her stomach turned her thoughts away from the unpleasant subject and onto one of her favorites: breakfast.

"Think we should check on the boys? Or see if Dawn has kicked the crap out of any Slytherins yet?" Jordan suggested, plastering on a half-hearted smile.

Hermione smiled in return, glad to have her friend back to at least a bit like her former self. "Yes, I think that's a capital idea."

They quickly made their way to the Dining Hall and spotted Aidan, Ron, and Harry sitting with Ginny, Dean, Seamus, and Neville. Hermione greeted Ron with a chaste kiss on the lips. It was a simple gesture really, but it resulted in the spewing of food from Seamus' mouth and Neville gasping in surprise. Dean had the advantage of dating Ron's sister so he was informed of the change in relationship between his two housemates prior to that morning.

"Wait a minute! Are you two…together?" Seamus asked after wiping his mouth.

"Yeah," Ron said the tips of his ears turning bright red.

"When did this happen?" Neville asked.

"Over the summer," Hermione answered before taking a bite of porridge.

"About bloody time too," Harry mumbled.

"I second that notion," Ginny chimed.

Ron and Hermione glowered at the both of them although the corners of Ron's mouth twitched into the threat of a grin. Hermione was now resolving to never get any sleep because on top of her new slayer status, which Parvati and Lavender could not question about enough, she was dating her fellow Gryffindor prefect and best friend. Those two would never let her rest. She quickly sought out a subject change and found one when a platinum-haired Slytherin boy walked in. He was practically stomping to the table and his face was twisted with even more hatred than usual. Something must've really set his temper to be emitting such an aura of rancor; or rather someone.

"Is Dawn in here yet?" she asked.

"Um, I haven't seen her—Oh! There she is!" Ginny pointed to the girl in question as she stepped in the Dining Hall.

Instead of going to the Slytherin table Dawn veered off towards the Gryffindors. She smiled in that mischievous way that spoke of knowing something they didn't. As last night many Gryffindors were sending less than friendly glares to Dawn because of her audacity to actually sit with them. One Gryffindor in particular, however, couldn't wipe the goofy grin off his face while watching Dawn walk towards him. Her shiny brown hair streaked with blonde given it an overall golden appearance was pulled up into a ponytail with silver barrettes holding her locks in place in the back and above her ears. Her lips were the color of pale roses and her sapphire eyes were rimmed with dark eyeliner and eye shadow. Harry never actually cared for the Slytherin uniforms; his natural aversion towards the house made almost anything in the colors of green or silver unpleasant, but Dawn wearing it was a whole other story. She looked glamorous.

"Morning!" Dawn said cheerily as Harry quickly scooted over for her.

"You seem all bright and chipper this morning for having to put up with Slytherins," Dean noted suspiciously.

"Oh, don't worry. I made a lasting impression last night," Dawn assured them, "and this morning."

"Oh, do tell." Jordan sidled over closer to her friend.

"Well, this bitch named Pansy Parkinson—" she paused when a couple people groaned and Hermione nodded grimly in recognition. "So she is normally a bitch? Cuz I thought it mighta been just me," Dawn said.

"Oh no, she's like Malfoy's female counterpart only smaller," Ron told her.

Almost everyone was spewing out food due to severe laughter as Dawn related her dealings with Pansy Parkinson. Harry really wished he had been there to witness it because he could imagine how fierce and lovely Dawn must have looked while defending herself. And seeing all those stunned looks on the Slytherin girls' faces would have been a real treat as well.

"Brilliant! That ought to have taken the stupid bint down a peg or two," Ginny squealed in triumph.

"Wow, I would never have the guts to do something like that," Neville voiced in awe and admiration.

"Really Neville? Because these guys tell it otherwise. They say you really kicked ass at the Ministry," Jordan said.

Neville blushed at the praise and suddenly developed an interest in his pumpkin juice.

"That's not the only person I made an impression on though," Dawn said, her blue eyes sparkling with laughter.

_Flashback to Earlier this Morning…_

Dawn took one last assessment of herself in the mirror in the Slytherin girls' lavatory and declared herself fit to be seen. She straightened down her uniform, which upon first glance made her think it was way too _boarding school_ for her (despite the fact that she was actually attending a boarding school), but it had a subtle air of sophistication. Not to mention, she looked pretty damn spiffy in a silver and green tie.

"Avril Lavigne, eat your heart out," she said smugly. "I make ties look good."

Slinging her purse over her shoulder and tucking the books for her morning classes under her arm she stepped out the door and walked downstairs to the common room. The roommates of hers that were awake didn't say a word to her as she passed through the dormitory. They stared at her loathsomely and Dawn felt the heat of their stairs, but paid them no notice. At least they were staying out of her way. Clinking down the steps down to the common room she hummed to the tune of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" while mouthing the chorus. She instantly became silent and halted in her steps when she spotted the boy in the common room. White-blonde hair crowning a handsome face sent her to an emotional crossroad. She was caught between feeling glee that she would be able to prove herself to this malcontent and dread for having to do it so early in the morning. At least he appeared to be alone.

He turned at the sound of her steps and a sneer formed on his face. _Here we go,_ she thought in exasperation.

"So, it's true then? A little Mudblood has finally clawed her way into Slytherin. The hat must be off its rocker," he snarled.

Dawn rolled her eyes and bounded down the rest of the steps. "Actually, you're wrong there Drakey. My blood was red the last time I checked it and I don't recall there being any mud," she retorted.

His face contorted into extreme distaste as if something rotten-smelling had been shoved under his nose. "Don't you dare call me that. If you must call me anything it will be Master Malfoy, as that is the way to respect your superiors," he growled.

"Superior? Master? Puh-leese! The only thing you would be superior to me in would be peeing standing up," Dawn countered while casually cleaning under her fingernails determined to show _Master Malfoy_ how superior he was to her.

Draco's jaw dropped in abject shock. Having not expected a retort of that nature he was struck speechless, which was like music to Dawn's ears. She filled in the silence perfectly.

"Okay, I'm only gonna tell you this once. I don't like you and it's pretty obvious you don't like me. I already showed one girl that I mean to stay here and I will _not_ put up with any of your Mudblood whiney crap. The hat put me in Slytherin so deal with it. I see that it's really hard with you guys to deal with anything that doesn't go your way. Well, tough. And don't even think of attacking me because I grew up with a vampire slayer for an older sister. You don't do that without learning moves." Dawn's voice had hardened and had successfully gotten Malfoy's full uninterrupted attention. "Oh and the intimidation stuff really doesn't work on me cuz I have faced things way way _way_ scarier than you times ten on the Hellmouth," she added while smirking at his stunned face. She glanced at her watch and then back at Draco. "Toodles, Drakey," she said rather good-naturedly and left him standing there speechless.

_End Flashback_

"Well that explains his storming in here earlier," Hermione remarked after regaining breath from laughing so hard.

"Peeing standing up! That was good!" Ron guffawed while slapping the table.

"Drakey? Oh I can just imagine the fun I will have with that name," Harry said dreamily.

"You, Summers, are my new best friend. Or even better, will you be my girlfriend?" Seamus asked. He missed Harry's scowl, but Dawn respectfully declined the latter offer.

Jordan was silent at first, but was just as pleased as everyone else that Dawn was able to knock that jerk off his soapbox. "Well done Summers. I can teach you no more," she told her.

Dawn beamed and took a deep draught of pumpkin juice. "I just hope all this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass."

"Well, considering that your older sister is a vampire slayer not to mention you're pals with a couple other vampire slayers, a vampire, a powerful Wicca, and erm…Xander, you can be pretty scary yourself. I think this has bought you at least two months of solitude," Aidan assured her.

Word of Dawn's stand against two notorious Slytherins quickly spread and many who had been oppressed by said notorious Slytherins (which there were quite a few) were flocking to meet the strange American Muggle-born witch. Sitting in her third-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class she was surrounded by clamoring young students, who while being in the same house as Draco were often ridiculed by him anyway. Professor Pennison smiled strangely at her and commented on her actions.

"I hope you're not too hard on him, though. He's only the product of a bad home-life, but good show nonetheless," the young woman said.

Dawn wondered briefly why Pennison was defending the insolent brat, but waved it away. She was a teacher after all and couldn't be expected to favor one student over the other. Sure, Professor Snape favored the Slytherins over just about anyone else, but Jordan said he was actually not that bad in his conduct towards her. Of course Jordan was extremely gifted in the potions area, even more so than Hermione it was rumored, so that may have been a factor. Dawn didn't think he was so bad either. Once one got past that really greasy and cold exterior he was actually somewhat pleasant. Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville continued to profess their abhorrence (or in Neville's case fear) of the potions master despite what Dawn said.

As the first week of the first term at Hogwarts came to a close Dawn was pointedly avoided and ignored in Slytherin by anyone in years four and up. Some third-years also made it a point to walk the other way when she came around, but the majority of younger students adored her. Most were from families that placed far more emphasis on appearance and status than love so Dawn was a breath of fresh air to them. And they were so gosh-darn cute in their little Hogwarts outfits that she was hard put not to want to coddle some of them.

"As the two eldest members of the team I shall leave it up to the both of you to decide who will be team captain," McGonagall told Harry and Ron in her office.

It was Thursday evening of the second week and the tryouts for the Gryffindor Quidditch team were on that coming Saturday morning. All three of their chasers had graduated so that left all Chaser positions open. The two Beater positions were taken, but it was still open for tryouts because the two boys in the position had only started in the middle of last year after the Weasley twins' now famous escape from Hogwarts. Ginny had graciously agreed to relinquish the Seeker position for Harry's sake. She had wanted to try out for the Chaser position anyway.

The two boys glanced at one another, both pairs of eyes full of indecision.

"Should be you mate, you're the best player on the team," Ron said.

"Yeah, but you're really good at strategy Ron. You could come up with some wicked game plans," Harry countered.

"Thanks," Ron replied.

Suddenly an idea formed in Harry's head and his gaze shot back to McGonagall who sat at her desk awaiting their answer patiently.

"What if we were both captains?" Harry suggested.

McGonagall adjusted her glasses. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, Jordan and Aidan said that that was how their school did it for their teams. Aidan was a co-captain with some other girl. We could do the same, you know, me and Ron. If not, then I think Ron should be team captain," Harry said.

Ron grinned at the idea. "I think it's a good idea."

The head of Gryffindor House scratched her chin thoughtfully. "I don't see why we can't do it that way. If Professor Dumbledore doesn't object then I shall allow it." She gave a small smile to the boys that let them know she was pleased with their thinking. "That is all, boys. I suggest you get back to your dormitories."

"Oh…erm…okay. Night Professor," Harry mumbled.

"Night," Ron echoed.

In the corridors Ron nudged Harry saying, "Brilliant idea, mate. Wish I'd have thought of it."

"Hey guys!" came Dawn's voice.

She was coming the way from the library and was headed back to the Slytherin dorms. She quickly ran up to her two Gryffindor friends.

"Hey Dawn, what are you doing out of your dorms so late? Something might eat you," Ron teased.

"Oh I was just in the library finishing up my homework for History of Magic. I passed by Hermione patrolling and she told me to give you this—" Dawn blew him a kiss and Ron's face turned the same shade of red as a tomato. He really needed to stop blushing so easily. "And she said for me to tell you both not to fight over captain position or she'll thrash the both of you. Which technically she is capable of so I'd listen to her."

Harry snorted. "Well, Ron and I are hopefully going to be co-captains like they do it at Jordan and Aidan's school. McGonagall is going to ask Dumbledore if we can do it."

"Oh that's cool," Dawn replied.

"So, are you going to be trying out for Slytherin? Going to give my team a run for its money?" Harry asked.

"Yeah right. Could you imagine me on a broom?" Dawn laughed and then added softly with the faintest hint of a blush, "Without you there that is."

"Right…erm…right," Harry mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

Ron watched the interaction between the two and smiled a knowing smile. He slinked away without the two of them noticing secretly hoping that the two would quit kidding themselves like Jordan said they were.

"So the first Hogsmeade trip is next month. That should be lots of fun," Dawn said and she looked away from his face. His eyes were too damn distracting.

"Yeah it is. I mean, you already know what it's like because we went there during the summer. But it's really pretty during autumn and winter," Harry replied.

They were both caught at a loss for words, not able to say what they really wanted to say until Dawn mustered up her courage and blurted out, "Do you wanna go with me?"

Harry blinked and not entirely sure he heard right eloquently responded, "Huh?"

Dawn took a deep nervous breath. "I meant did you wanna go to Hogsmeade with me? I mean not just to hang, but—" she trailed off as her courage deserted her.

"Date?" Harry tried feeling his heart start to thump faster than was healthy.

Dawn offered him a shaky smile and nodded. She was almost caught in a trance-like state by his deep green eyes. Had she ever seen eyes so purely green and beautiful? Or was it just the boy behind them that entranced her?

"Wow, Dawn, I…would love to." Harry's found it was hard to breathe when Dawn was staring at him so intently, her sapphire irises boring right into his emerald ones.

He was amply rewarded with a gorgeous smile that lit up her entire face. "Great! God you have no idea what a nervous wreck I've been over this. You're a really great guy and I really want to get to know you more," she said softly.

Harry appropriately blushed but he was beaming with uncontained glee. "Thanks, I mean…I really want to get to know you more too."

Dawn smiled and said, "So it's a date then?"

Harry nodded emphatically. "Definitely."

"Great! I better get going before I get caught outside before curfew," she remarked while peaking at her watch. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight." Harry watched her walk past him and further away until she turned on her heels, ran back to Harry, kissed him on the cheek so fast that it hadn't hit him until after she had waved and ran down the corridor what had happened. He stood stark still, completely dumbfounded in the corridor until laughter and whoops of triumph echoed down the halls. He looked around and caught Jordan, Hermione, and Vi standing at a corner. All three of the Slayers had self-satisfied smirks on their face that made Harry very uneasy.

"Were you watching?" Harry questioned.

"Chill, we just got here in time to catch the final show. So what went on between you two?" Jordan asked, her honey eyes glinting ironically.

"So are you two a couple now?" Vi asked eagerly.

"Well, we're going on a date to Hogsmeade," Harry replied, rather smoothly for the way his blood was pummeling his veins.

"Oh that's wonderful, Harry. You and Dawn make the perfect couple. You could double-date with Ron and I," Hermione said.

"Whoa! We're just going on a date. It doesn't mean she's my girlfriend," Harry insisted.

"Yet," Jordan muttered slyly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked.

"Remember that conversation we had back like two—three months ago? You both are so totally into each other that you're both blind to it. Who do you think egged Dawn on to ask you out? Trust me, it won't be long before I accidentally walk in on the two of you making out in the Room of Requirement or some other place," Jordan told him.

"I should have known," Harry mumbled, trying to put up a pretense of anger but he was secretly thanking the girl.

Hermione, Jordan, and Vi filled the corridor with uproarious laughter. Harry failed to see the humor in this situation, but then girls often found things funny that boys didn't.

"Come on Jordan, we got to get patrolling," Vi reminded her.

"Yeah yeah. Oh Harry, I may be protecting you and all, but you hurt Dawn…well…I don't think I have to remind you that there will be many people coming after you," she warned him.

Harry gulped. "I would never hurt her," he declared after the tiny shiver of fear dissipated.

"I know," Jordan said. "Catch ya later."

Vi and Jordan left Hermione and Harry standing in the corner.

"So, how did the meeting with McGonagall go? Who gets to be captain?" Hermione asked.

"Erm…well…Ron and I decided to try it the way Jordan and Aidan's old school did it. We're hoping to be co-captains," Harry told her.

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and relief. "That's a brilliant idea, Harry!"

"McGonagall just has to get Dumbledore to approve it and then we'll both be captains," Harry said.

"Well, that's great Harry, but I've got to finish my prefect rounds. Tell Ron—"

"Don't make me blow him a kiss!" Harry pleaded.

Hermione looked confused, but then smiled in understanding. "Oh, well I was just going to say to tell him not to wait for me. He needs his sleep."

"Oh. Yeah, I can do that," Harry told her.

Hermione bid him goodnight and before leaving she said, amusement plain in her tone, "You might want to wipe that lipstick off your cheek."

****

**Silver Warrior: **Glad you liked it. Yeah, he is batty. But they say there's a fine line between genius and insanity. Malfoy being the next big evil? That's interesting, but I don't think he's smart enough for that. Of course not all the big evils have been really smart have they?

**matt: **So I pulled it off alright? Good. I was kinda thinking about how I would react to seeing something like that as reference.

**Jamie Black: **Don't fret he will show! Wait a while though, he's been busy.

**Chrios: **Hastemire is a complete product of my imagination. I thought it would be interesting if he had some different types of allies and a Wiccan Warlock came to mind. And that is so not fair! I have to share this damned computer with four other people!

**CharmedChick: **So that's Faith's last name? Hmmm…never heard it mentioned before. Well, I'm just gonna keep it Alders because she will just prefer to go by Faith anyway.

**Chaotic reign: **Oh just you wait to see the hell I will put him through. We can't very well overlook his behavior over the past five years now can we? Not that he won't give a little hell back.

**vampy the choosen one: **Very true he did have it coming and I'm glad you liked it.

Thanks also to **coffeeaddict14**, **Kiara-Zzyopen**, **blondi-gurl**, **Vld**, and **Fianna**.


	26. Chapter Twentysix

My sincere apologies for the total lateness of this update. This is what happens when you have too many ideas crammed into your head and your brain goes into overload. But I have some good news, and no it has nothing to do with Geico but that little gecko is so cool, but I finally got my permit! Now I can drive…legally anyway as long as my dad stays in the passenger seat! Okay enough about me on with the story….btw in this story I'm going to assume that Angel and his crew know about Dawn's keyness. Just go with it.

--------------------

The early autumn air in Cleveland, Ohio was decidedly nippy when the sun set, but it was actually quite comfortable to the young redheaded woman and the platinum-headed man standing beside her in a long leather duster at the edge of a cemetery.

"Doesn't feel too powerful to me. Got nothing on Sunnydale," Spike remarked while lighting up a cigarette.

Willow nodded in agreement as she used her magical senses to test the area's potency. Buffy was contemplating setting up a base here as soon as possible with a small brigade of slayers. Xander was a likely candidate for base commander despite his having lost his soldier skills from the Halloween incident almost six years ago. But Buffy and Faith trusted his ability to handle the slayers and would always be just a fireplace or portkey away.

"You're right. It almost seems dormant, but I can still sense a subtle stream of evil. But I guess that's why Buffy and Faith are letting Xander handle it. It's the most docile Hellmouth we've come across and the smallest," the powerful Wicca said.

"Don't you lot have enough to worry about with the crazy wizard bloke?" Spike asked.

Willow frowned as if she expected Spike to understand. "We can't just neglect out other duties. What if while we're busy with Voldemort some demon tries to end the world?"

"Isn't that what Peaches and Evil Inc. are for?" Spike retorted using his less than flattering nicknames for Angel and Wolfram and Hart.

"Yeah, well…I'm not entirely sure we can trust them. I mean Angel yeah, but he's CEO of Wolfram and Hart and we can't really trust _them_. I know Buffy and the rest of us would feel a lot better if some of our own were handling the hellmouths."

"And you trust the Whelp to handle this one?" Spike pointed out dryly.

Willow rolled her eyes at the vampire's chosen name for Xander and replied shortly, "Yes, I do. And so does Buffy and Faith. Of course, that is if he chooses to. He might wanna stay in London after the new headquarters building is built."

"Hey guys! I stopped at Starbucks—did you know they have more than one in this town?—and got some coffees because it's a little nippy out here," Andrew greeted cheerily while toting three cups of steaming coffee. Andrew had come along to strengthen his credibility as a useful member of the Scooby Gang. Willow had charged him with the task of recording all the information about the slayers they found and typing up files on them and sorting them into categories. She had been surprised at his prowess with the task and was grateful to have brought him.

"Thanks Andrew," Willow said while taking the cup he offered to her.

Her magically enhanced senses tingled slightly as if a pair of invisible eyes were watching her. Increasing her pressure on her cup she glanced around the cemetery and surrounding buildings and darkened alleyways. Yet it was not as if there was actually someone hiding near watching it her. It was more that someone was spying upon her from far off. It wasn't the first time she had experienced this sensation nor was it the second. The fact that it was continual caused her to take action, but whenever she used her magic to track the presence it would disappear so completely to make it seem like it had not been there at all. She couldn't even ascertain if the intent towards her was malicious or not. Logically she figured that anyone who didn't wish her harm wouldn't be likely to spy on her. Anyone who did wish her harm might do so. Yet who was it? Was it more than one person? Was it Voldemort or his lackeys? It seemed a likely possibility, but Willow doubted it somehow that it was the dark lord himself.

When she finally voiced her concerns to her friends they were quick to become worried and Buffy jumped into protective mode. Hence, Spike offered to go with her to Cleveland for protection. The vampire asserted that Buffy and Faith insisted he accompany her, but Willow could tell that it had been his choice and she was touched. Though a Wicca as powerful as herself really didn't require much protection she appreciated the gesture all the same.

"Red? You okay?" Spike inquired with concern.

Willow did not respond, caught up in the useless search for the enigmatic eyes that were forever watching her and forever eluding her. When Spike asked her again and put a hand on her shoulder she finally awoke out of her trance and looked at him.

"They were watching me again," she said softly.

Spike sighed a hissing sigh through his teeth and futilely scanned the area around them. It was as hopeless as Willow's own attempt because they both knew it wasn't a person watching in some fifteen-story window with a telescope. She had explained time and again that it was a feeling like someone was keeping tabs on her from far away by use of magic. That made it all the more troubling to Spike and the rest of the Scoobies' minds.

Andrew's large gray eyes just darted from Spike to Willow anxiously as he sipped his coffee. In this particular situation he was more or less of the useless type and found it was healthier for him if he just contributed nothing at all. He was terrified of making the tiniest mistake and ruining his friendship—which was tenuous at best—with Buffy and her gang. He had never felt so accepted in his life. Not even being apart of the Trio with Warren and Jonathan had made him feel like one of the gang. Granted Warren had trusted him more than he did Jonathan and the two eventually collaborated to be rid of the short annoyance, but Warren had betrayed him as well. Warren betrayed just about everyone he had ever come across and Andrew had not really realized that until after he had brutally stabbed Jonathan in the basement of Sunnydale High. Talk about lousy timing. He would always carry residual guilt over his heinous deed, but he was working hard at redeeming himself. Working with Buffy and her friends at saving the world and fighting against evil was a big step in his path to redemption. And because they were working against evil instead of for it like the Trio did he knew that the chance of betrayal was slim to none. That was the advantage in working for the side of Light, everyone looked out for one another. That was a lot more than could be said for the other side. And Anya had _died_ for him. She had died to save _his_ life. Okay, so maybe she hadn't _planned_ on the dying part, but it didn't change what she had done. He owed it to her memory to keep fighting against evil. He made a personal vow to himself that the former Vengeance Demon's sacrifice would not have been made in vain.

"It's gone," Willow announced after several moments.

Spike quirked his scarred eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Positive. Guess they had their fill for the night," she replied with a bitter smile on her face. "Come on, let's gather the new recruits and split."

**---------------------**

Saturday morning dawned mercifully bright and clear for Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the two Beaters, Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke, stood in full Gryffindor Quidditch regalia. Crested onto Harry and Ron's uniforms was the elegantly shaped letter "C" that glinted merrily in the sunlight. The contenders for the team were dressed in many different outfits chatting away on the Pitch waiting for their turn to show Harry and Ron what they had to offer. Jordan and Aidan were wearing the uniforms of their Phoenix Group Quidditch team which were colored completely in a sapphire hue with a silver phoenix on their backs. Hermione had journeyed down to the Pitch to provide her support for not only the team, but for Ron as well who was feeling rather awkward in his position as Captain.

"Aren't they just cute? Some are so small they look like just a tiny bit of wind would knock them off their brooms," Lorne commented from his seat beside Hermione on the stands. He had taken a day off of work as chief of the entertainment division of the L.A. branch of Wolfram and Hart on Jordan's request to root for her at the tryouts. Fred, wanting to spend some time with Wesley and take a break from the lab had joined him.

Lorne's entry onto the field amidst the students caused quite a bit of gasps and shrieks of fright. Even after they were assured that he was completely harmless to them they still eyed him warily and dealt him a wide berth.

"Where is Wesley? He said he would be here to watch," Fred asked with a pout forming on her small, pretty face.

"Don't worry chickpea, if you're here he'll show," Lorne replied slyly.

Hermione was so intent on keeping her eyes on Ron that she didn't catch the implications of that statement until moments later. "Are you and Wesley a couple? What is there some sort of lovebug going around? First Harry and Dawn and now you and Wesley," Hermione said and then winced at accidentally letting that information slip.

Fred reddened slightly but a grin spread across her face. "Wesley and I have been together for a couple weeks now," she told the slayer-witch.

"Harry and Dawn are together? Where the hell have I been?" Lorne said in disbelief while taking a silver flask out of his jacket and gulping down a few drinks.

"At the company of evil and death, remember? But wow, that's so cute. Wesley hasn't mentioned anything about that," Fred happily chimed.

"Yikes though, what does big sis think of that? Or worse—the vampire?" Lorne queried.

Hermione grimaced but said, "Technically they aren't together yet. They're just going on a date to Hogsmeade, which I really don't see is much difference than just going as friends. But everyone else knows the two fancy each other."

"Yeah, that's usually how it goes with romance. Well, at least Harry has an eye for the ladies. Dawn's quite the catch. There's definitely not many made like her; come to think of it I don't think there are _any_ made like her. I've never heard of there being other k—OW!" Lorne cried out in pain as Fred accidentally on purpose jarred him in the ribs with her elbow.

Hermione stared at the two of them strangely while suspicion and curiosity bubbled within her. What did Lorne mean by that? Obviously there was something different about Dawn that they knew about and weren't supposed to tell. The talkative green demon had come very close to letting it spill. It was then that the clever witch remembered something said about Dawn back at the Hyperion Hotel shortly after Hermione met the Scooby Gang and their companions. Dumbledore had said Dawn being a witch had been due to her _uniqueness_ which had both Jordan and herself questioning the girl later that night. But Dawn had evaded the subject and left the two hanging only for their curiosity to be buried under the weight of new responsibilities and events. Her curiosity was yet again sparked and the too cheerful smiles that Fred and Lorne were putting on only added fuel to her fire. Deciding to assure them that she was completely unsuspicious she smiled back and turned her attention back to the field leaving her two companions unaware of the wheels of ambition to know and learn turning in her head.

"Hi Hermione! Fred! Lorne! When did you guys get here?" came said object of curiosity as she joined them in the stands.

Hermione studied Dawn while trying to be inconspicuous while doing it as if she could use her "spidey sense" to detect what it was that made Dawn special. Unfortunately for the Gryffindor witch what ever it was that made Dawn so unique was very well hidden within the girl and she wasn't about to ask her about it.

Harry's heartbeat began to pick up its pace when he caught Dawn's familiar form out of the corner of his eye. Contrary to what he believed Dawn watching him doing what he did best would do to him (make him nervous and twitchy) he felt a great upwelling of confidence. He caught her eye and she waved coyly while grinning at him. Ron and Ginny both snickered at him knowingly.

"Shut it!" he retorted.

This only induced more snickering and snorts of laughter from the redheaded siblings. Again the humor in this situation was completely lost on him, but then he figured you had to be outside of the situation to see it.

"Harry, what's _she _doing here? She's a _Slytherin!_" one of the Gryffindors hissed with undisguised derision.

"Yeah, she's probably been sent here to spy! I bet Malfoy put her up to it!" another one joined in.

Harry felt the heat of anger in his cheeks and before he could rise up to Dawn's defense Aidan's voice rang out.

"Gee, for people that claim to be nobler than Slytherins you sure have odd ways of showing it. Has it ever occurred to you that she doesn't really give a rat's ass about the Slytherin Quidditch team? Most of you don't even know her. Give her a chance."

That quieted the majority of the kids, but what they lacked in words they made up for in the contemptuous glances they sent to Dawn. Hermione returned their glares with equal, if not even more, vehemence and they ignored her for the rest of the time. Dawn didn't want to admit it, but their stark objection to her being there because of her being a Slytherin actually hurt. She had expected the Gryffindors to be a bit more compassionate, but apparently she was wrong. Most Slytherins scorned her because she was Muggle-born and most Gryffindors scorned her because she was a Slytherin. She just couldn't win. Thank God for her family and friends or she wouldn't be able to last the school year.

"Don't listen to them Dawnie. They're kids; what do they know?" Lorne supplied as comfort not really noticing the raised eyebrows given to him by Hermione and Dawn who took slight offense to that.

"They just need to get to know you. At least they don't care about you being Muggle-born. Just don't take it personally, the rival between the two houses has existed for years. They might warm up to you when they find you're dating Harry," Hermione assured her and then her brow furrowed.

Fred said exactly what Hermione had been thinking, "Or they might scorn him for dating a…um…what's your house?"

"Slytherin," Dawn said dolefully. "God, it would have been so much easier if I had been made a Gryffindor."

"Yes, but for people like us sweetie things are never easy," Lorne replied with an uncharacteristic grimness to his voice. Then he muttered in a matter-of-fact tone, "Unless you're drunk. And then it depends upon what you are trying to do."

The four remained in the stands watching the tryouts proceed while cheering on their favored contenders. Wesley, Buffy, and Faith eventually joined them alongside a couple of slayers who had taken a distinct liking to Quidditch. Willow, Andrew, and Spike were gathering more slayers and checking out the Cleveland Hellmouth while Xander and Giles were off seeing to the new Watcher's Council headquarters as it was rebuilt. Dawn, while resolving once again that Quidditch was not the sport for her could not help but be enraptured with the way the players handled themselves on their brooms. Granted some were far more talented than others and even Dawn's untrained eyes could pick apart the ones who were made for the rough sport and the ones who obviously needed to wake up and smell the lack of talent. One second-year girl even leaped off her broom after it rose a foot into the air.

Jordan and Aidan were spectacular Chasers. The two knew each other's moves like the back of their hands and both were magnificent fliers. They were almost as good as Harry was on his broom. Ginny herself surprised everyone by her adeptness in the Chaser position and managed to keep up with the auburn-haired twins. Hermione narrowed her eyes and whispered to Dawn,

"They practiced with her."

"Is that a bad thing?" Dawn asked.

"Not really. I just think it gave her more of an upper-hand. The three of them will surely be the three Chasers for the team. There's no way Harry and Ron could not pick them."

The students were even allowed to try for the filled positions of Seeker, Keeper, and the two Beater positions. No one managed to match Harry's prowess in catching the Snitch. Jordan didn't even try for it, but Harry had begged her to just to see if her superior vision and reflexes could win out. She declined, but the idea clearly had its appeal to her. Seamus, however, was almost like a brick wall when it came to keeping. The Firewell twins only managed to get a few throws past him after several tries and even when Ron took up the position as Keeper he couldn't beat Seamus. This presented a problem because Ron was a co-captain and they couldn't very well oust him off the team. But neither could they overlook Seamus's talent at the position.

"Why did you never try out before?" Harry asked incredulously.

Seamus shrugged. "Didn't know I was so good. Figured I might as well give it a try this year."

Dean tapped on Ginny's shoulder and made a motion towards where Jordan stood while whispering conspiratorially, "He only did it because she was a fan of the game. Seamus is starting to fancy her. Her and Lavender and that Slytherin girl, Dawn."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Did you explain to him that he can't have all three?"

"Pfft! No, I think it would be funny to see him try. Especially since Jordan is a slayer and her brother looks like he could snap Seamus in half and Dawn is the younger sister of a slayer and Lavender is…Lavender." A wry grin broke out on Dean's face while Ginny shook her head and rolled her eyes. _Boys!_

"Well, what are we supposed to do? Could we make him a reserve?" Ron asked hopefully.

"As good as he is and you wanna keep him in reserve? What about going for Beater, Ron? I hear your brothers were fricken awesome. Maybe their talent will have rubbed off on you," Jordan proposed.

"Or we both could be Keepers and you can alternate us. Ron's pretty good at the position and I don't want to steal it from him," Seamus suggested.

Harry ran his hand through his unruly black hair as he thought over it and looked to his best friend who shrugged.

"I could try the Beater position," Ron said reluctantly, while furtively glancing at the rest of students grouped around him. He felt a pair of warm, strong arms wrap around him and smiled contentedly as his girlfriend whispered words of encouragement into his ear. He took her words to heart and put a brave face on while gripping his broomstick tightly. "I'll try it."

Harry handed Ron a Beater's bat and then released the two Bludgers that were straining to roam free over the Pitch like animals having been cooped up too long in a cage. Everyone stepped back as Ron pelted one after the other occasionally having to dive to the ground to avoid getting hit. A couple of the people around the redhead were forced to dodge the two Bludgers as well, but Ron kept them mostly protected. When one came hurtling towards Hermione she smacked it away with her own bare hand with such force that it flew well past the golden hoops. Harry sincerely hoped they wouldn't have to get a new one, but he still stared in awe at the feat.

"Further proof as to why slayers should not be Beaters. Imagine if she had hit someone," Jordan remarked.

"Well I can think of some people I wouldn't mind you two hitting like that," Harry mumbled while everyone fervently agreed.

They declared Ron rather talented at the position, even better than Jack and Andrew. Since Andrew was a little better at the position than Jack they kept him on as Beater and put Jack in reserve. Surprisingly he put up no fight because he was none too fond of the position himself.

"Well, I think that's all for today. I'll talk with my co-captain about who should be on the team and reserve members and such. Thank you all for performing your very best and good luck. Results should be posted within the week," Harry announced to the still awestruck Gryffindors.

The crowd on the Pitch dispersed with a great clamoring of amazement at the display of Hermione's slayer strength. While unintended it was no less incredible to see the clever, bookish witch hit a Bludger with such force. They started to look upon her with a new light of admiration and slight trepidation. No one would even contemplate angering her now.

"Wicked move Hermione, but did you have to hit it so hard?" Ron said to Hermione after most of the students had left to eat a late lunch.

Hermione blushed. "I didn't mean to. Honestly."

"You guys were something out there. Who would have thought broomsticks could be so exciting?" Lorne said as he and his companions sauntered over to the dwindled group on the Pitch.

"Yeah, I'm almost sorry I don't know how to ride one," Fred voiced.

"Almost? You could take a ride if you wanted," Jordan offered, holding her broomstick forward.

Fred's eyes widened and she backed up further into Wesley's embrace. "Ah no. That's fine, I'll keep my feet on the ground."

"Aw, come on. You and Wesley could both take a crack at it. It's very romantic up there in the clouds seeing the stars. Of course, it's daylight now, but you get the gist," Jordan urged.

Wesley shook his head at his charge, but he was tempted by the idea. "That's fine Jordan. I don't think Fred cares much for heights."

"It's not the heights. It's just being up in the air with nothing but a broomstick to keep you from falling," Fred replied defensively.

"I hear ya Fred," Dawn agreed, nodding her head. She might have been talking to the frail-looking, but surprisingly strong woman, but her eyes were for Harry.

Buffy grinned knowingly at her sister's googly-eyed staring at the black-haired boy with the brilliant green eyes; the boy that everything seemed to be about and yet at the same time he seemed to be detached from it all too. He reminded Buffy too much of herself and in a way her sister as well. Their budding relationship had not been made known to Spike just yet whom everyone knew was staunchly protective of his Nibblet. After all, they needed Harry to survive if they had any hope of defeating Voldemort at all. Buffy was used to being the one who did the vanquishing and finding herself in this particular position was somewhat hard to get used to. She had to continually remind herself that she was to prepare and protect Harry until he was ready to fight Voldemort. There was nothing she could do to the dark wizard personally that would save them all save for molding his soon-to-be worst enemy into a warrior to be reckoned with. She looked over at her slayers and at her co-commander who was chatting with Ginny about Quidditch.

"I think we should train some of the rookies on those broomsticks. I mean, slayers gone airborne carrying crossbows has to be an advantage in battle," Faith said to the redhead. "Waddya say, B?"

Buffy was silent as she ran through the idea in her mind. "Maybe. But we would have to cover that later. We still have more training to do on the ground. I want them to be steady on their feet before we put them in the air."

"Oooooh a Broom Brigade!" Jordan, who had overheard their conversation, clapped her hands together merrily.

"If we do that you would be commander since you have the most experience," Faith told her seriously.

That wiped the smile of the young slayer's face and it was replaced with an alarmed grimace.

"What?" Jordan asked.

"Chill, we haven't even decided if are going to do it," Faith assured her.

"Okay, if it's alright with you chaps I'm going to get something to eat," Ron said loudly.

"Shouldn't we look for the Bludger?" Harry asked.

"Ah, look for it later. Besides there's more in storage," Ron replied, while waving it away.

Right on cue a dark shape came hurtling back towards the Pitch. Although flying somewhat erratically because of the forceful hit with which the Bludger had been dealt had damaged it, it was still full of zinging energy. Jordan snatched the Bludger out of the air instantaneously and restrained it beside its twin in the chest with no effort whatsoever. She noticed it was slightly dented from Hermione's hit and the corners of her mouth turned up into a grin.

"From now on, you are in charge of the Bludgers," Harry said and then added with an ironic smirk, "Even if you don't make it onto the team."

**--------------------**

"Okay Giles, I got the blueprints right here for the new building. You still want there to be dungeons?" Xander queried as he laid down a large scrolled-up blueprint on the makeshift coffeetable in the makeshift office on the site of the new Watchers Council Headquarters.

"Well, I suppose we should have them just in case. Only make them less….dank and dark," Giles replied setting down his cup of tea.

"Dungeons that aren't dank and dark? Do such things exist?" Xander joked. At Giles's glare he mumbled, "Okay, I'll tell the guys. And did you know a good bit of those construction workers are half-demons or full-blooded demons?"

Giles didn't even look up from the prints as he answered, "Yes, I was aware of that."

"Oh, well, just making sure. They invited me out to go to a pub with them later," Xander said, then he paled. "Oh God, what if they want me to go to a demon pub?"

Giles chuckled a bit at that, but continued to study the blueprints for the new building. It was larger than the previous headquarters building and the placement of particular wings had been changed, but he was overall pleased with the plans.

"I never got the chance to thank you for letting me oversee the construction. This is a great job," Xander said softly. "I thought it was over with for me and construction work when I lost my eye."

"Well, it isn't as if you will actually be building anything. You're the supervisor and now you have that remarkable magical prosthesis," Giles reminded him.

Xander had paid a visit to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries after that retired Auror, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody had suggested he get an eye like his. Only problem was Xander didn't want an eye that was all electric blue in color and rolled round and round in his eye-socket thereby freaking out all normal Muggles he would come across. So Willow had used her brand of magic to transfigure his new eye into an exact replica of his other brown eye.

Something started pecking on one of the windows to the trailer and Xander walked over to investigate. A chocolate-brown owl was flapping its wings just outside the window and the young man recognized it as Dawn's owl, Will. He opened the window so the owl could flutter in and deliver his mistress's message.

"Hey Will, my good feathered friend. What news do you bring us from Hogwarts?" Xander greeted as the owl settled on the makeshift coffeetable and dipped his beak into Giles's teacup.

"I give up," Giles sighed.

Xander snickered as he untied the scrolled up letters from Buffy and Dawn while Giles merely threw up his hands in resignation. Will _always_ drank his tea whenever the owl brought letters from his surrogate daughters. Who would have thought an owl would acquire a taste for tea?

Buffy's letter was two pages long and consisted of nothing out of the ordinary. The Slayers seemed to be progressing in their training and had fallen into their routines of academic study, physical combat training, and patrol. On weekends they were free to pursue extra curricular activities during the day. Many went to Hogsmeade to indulge in the many treats the wizard town had in store for them. Buffy thanked Giles profusely for finding tutors to educate the girls in normal Muggle subjects like: arithmetic, science, history, English, etc... He had even made sure all of the tutors were bilingual or better since some of the young slayers were not yet fluent in the native language.

Dawn's was mostly about how her magical studies were going and how the Slytherins were treating her. Most were still very rude to her or just shunned her outright, but there were quite a few young Slytherins that had taken a liking to her. She also spoke of watching the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts yesterday and how amazing it was. Xander and Giles noticed that she talked a lot about one Gryffindor in particular, a certain black-haired green-eyed boy and it caused the two men to exchange suspiciously knowing looks. At the end of her letter she happily answered their suspicions by saying she was going to Hogsmeade on a date with Harry in October.

"See what we're missing out on Giles?" Xander complained.

Giles raised his eyebrow. "It's not like this is the first date Dawn's ever been on."

"Yeah, but this is the first guy I've ever really approved of for the Dawnster. I mean there was the vampire she kissed and the guy who had that magic jacket that made all girls go crazy for him," Xander recounted and then he frowned. "Harry's weird too, not evil but weird. What is it with Summers women and weird guys?"

"And I suppose you are completely normal in the area of courtship yourself?" Giles replied sardonically.

"Hey! Cordelia was pretty normal as far as my relationships go!" Xander retorted.

Giles merely nodded his head and his expression turned from slightly amused to serious. "Speaking of relationships, how are you doing? You seem to be coping with the loss of Anya rather well of late."

Xander bowed his head and clasped his hands together as a thin veil of heartache enfolded him. The misery over Anya's death had diminished little by little everyday and he found that if he just focused his mind on other tasks it was easier to bear. Keeping himself busy and connected with his pseudo-family and the oncoming showdown with the dark lord were succeeding and taking his mind off of his former vengeance demon love. When he dwelled on it long enough he would often break down into tears, but even those episodes were growing smaller in number. Slowly but surely his heart was mending the wounds it had been dealt.

"I'm a lot better. I don't like to think about it too much, at least not about her death. I mainly just try to remember her before that," he spoke with bittersweet longing. "I guess grief is something we in the Scooby Gang are pros at, huh?"

Giles nodded grimly and his smile was tight and humorless. "Yes, I suppose you're right about that."

The two men were silent for a moment as they both reminisced about their respective loves and losses before Xander interjected thoughtfully, "If I were to get back in the dating scene again, you don't think Anya would somehow exact bloody vengeance from beyond the grave?"

--------------------

::Sigh:: I love Xander. I would so date him if given the chance. I need to get him a g/f. Any ideas?

**wyredsisters: **Sorry chica, my story my rules. I make no promises on Sirius or new characters. When you merge two worlds together you're going to get new characters if you get realistic. I don't think Ron technically agreed that all purebloods were death eaters, I think he meant (or I meant) that those in Slytherin were.

**Chrios: **That is the sad sad truth of my life. But ever since we acquired a playstation 2 they've been playing that more than getting on the comp which works out great for me. The only games I play on the playstation are the Dark Alliance games and since I've beaten them I've been on the comp mostly.

**BTVSfreak: **Thanks. I'm flattered that you decided to read my story despite the fact that Draco and Hermione aren't together. Yeah, Buffy/Snape is a little bit high with the ick factor.

**gabrieldarke: **More to come.

**delta-negative: **I will put in more Faith. I'm not sure about her with Xander though. I'll have to mull that over for a while. It wasn't the first time that idea came up.

**AnthonyR: **Oh wow that sucks. I'm sorry for your loss and your g/f is real lucky to have you there to comfort her. I have been real lucky in that no one I know personally has been killed or seriously injured in a car accident.

**matt: **Well, I think killing Kennedy would be going a bit too far, but it's not completely impossible. And Vi is cool, prolly one of the only potentials that I really liked. I do plan on fixing her up with one of the twins, but we'll see. Thanks for the driving advice. I was actually more nervous about the written tests then the actual driving part so that says something.

**trunks: **No idea. Prolly in Angel or something.

**Vld**: Draco take Dawn to Hogsmeade? Banish the though immediately!

**Silver Warrior: **Funny how short on brains Glory was when she brainsucked several poor fools. I thought she was the best Buffy villain ever though. She was amusing to say the least. The Trio I always deemed an annoyance because calling them evil would have given them way too much credit. And wow you're right about Xander. Could you imagine him as one of the geeks? Scary and sad cuz he's like my favorite BtVS character. Yeah I think Harry and Dawn have a lot in common and I'm delighted that you approve. Yeah I can't imagine Ginny going with a Slytherin and I could never see Harry and Hermione getting together for some reason. I guess it's cuz I thought she was always meant for Ron. Her and Harry didn't argue enough lol.

Thanks also to **Kiara-Zzyopen** and **Wanderingsoul24**.


	27. Chapter Twentyseven

Hey, look at that I managed to get this chappie in a day before school started back up. My apologies for the major lateness of this chappie. A combo of writer's block and computer malfunctions and my own summer induced laziness are to blame. **Vld**, you, my friend, are a genius. Thanks for the brilliant idea on a g/f for Xander.

--------------------

The Forbidden Forest. The name practically spoke for itself. Creatures out of the darkest of nightmares lurked there in packs preying upon those weak and ignorant enough to tread upon their territory. It was a terrifying and tantalizingly mysterious place that always commanded a sense of respect and of course, fear. True the forest was highly appealing to some people with its various hazards and the fact that the people who aptly named the forest tacked "Forbidden" on there. It was the bane of all teenagers—Muggle and wizard kind alike—call something "forbidden" and the more intriguing it becomes. One of the most beloved pastimes of older Hogwarts students was daring a person to stray so far into the forest alone. Of course that person strayed only a little ways before quickly turning back and running for dear life back towards the safety of the Hogwarts grounds. No one entered far into the forest without someone who knew what dangers to expect and how to avoid them, like Hagrid. One would have to be daft to enter the forest at a young age, especially at night. However, that was just what three young ladies were doing one particular Friday night in early October. Only they were an exception to Hogwarts rules.

Hermione and her fellow slayer patrollers, Jordan and Vi, were strolling through the Forbidden Forest. The two slayer-witches grasped a wand with the ends dimly lighted while the other girl held a glowing stone gifted to each slayer by Professor Dumbledore. Their eyes were diligently searching the areas they passed through, their feet barely made any sounds on the ground, all six of their senses were open. They were on the hunt

A nest of vampires was discovered last night by another patrol and was promptly eliminated. Mostly slayers did not go into the Forest during patrol because most creatures in there went out of their way to avoid human contact and they figured they should honor that. If the slayers didn't bother the creatures that dwelled within the woods, then the creatures more than likely would not bother them. Yet reports of deaths and disappearances from the nearby all-wizard village of Hogsmeade that seemed vampiric in nature incited the young female warriors to search through the Forbidden Forest and the village itself to hunt down the fiends responsible. A nest was found in the village and a nest was found in the Forest and both were destroyed. This night was simply a follow-up patrol to be sure that all the vampires were destroyed. Almost all of the slayers staying at Hogwarts were out scouring the woods and village in teams of three to five girls each.

"Here vampires. I got plans for tomorrow and I don't fancy staying up all night trying to find one of you," Jordan growled irritably.

"Well, we do have that slayer stamina that lets us get by on a couple hours of sleep," Vi replied.

"Well, I don't suspect it would count for much if we don't get any rest at all," Hermione said knowledgably.

Tomorrow was the first trip to Hogsmeade of the term. Hermione's sixteenth birthday and Dawn's seventeenth birthday had passed at the end of September within a week of one another. The girls' birthdays were celebrated with one combined party only there wasn't as much gift-exchanging as there had been at Harry's party. Jordan planned on getting her friends' birthday...or rather belated birthday presents while in Hogsmeade on Saturday. Most everyone else was going the same root as her, which made her feel infinitely better about it. She had been thinking more about what gifts to get her two friends than the current task at hand. Well, it was pretty normal for Jordan to get sidetracked.

"You think Dawn would like a weapon? No, Spike got her a weapon and Faith got her that outfit that made Buffy gag on her drink and Harry's eyes bug out of his head. So that's out," she mumbled in contemplation.

Hermione and Vi turned their heads to stare at her in confusion. Jordan felt their eyes on her and looked up. "What? Oh yeah, well it's been bugging me all day what to get you and Dawn. I mean, I have your gift figured out, Hermione, but I don't know what to get Dawn," Jordan explained to them both.

"Harry's been asking me that too. He's got himself all worked up over it no matter how much I tell him that she'll love anything he gets her," Hermione said in an annoyed tone.

"Did you notice the way Buffy was watching Harry and Dawn like a hawk at the party?" Vi inquired, then added, "Spike was too, but that's nothing new. Usually Buffy's pretty cool around them."

"Yes I did notice that Buffy was being oddly attentive to the activities of those two. I don't think they got a chance to be alone," Jordan recanted thoughtfully. "I guess she didn't want Harry to give Dawn a _very special_ birthday present."

Hermione's jaw dropped and the civil side of her (which was slowly shrinking everyday in her opinion) had the grace to act scandalized. "Harry would never do something like that! Do you really think he would...I mean..." she trailed off, very flustered.

"Go on, you can say it," Jordan urged with a very amused smirk on her face. "Shag is how you people in England put it, I believe."

Vi cracked up laughing at that thought and Hermione just tightened her grip on her wand. Jordan laughed aloud at Hermione's shocked expression and clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"Chill, Hermione. I actually meant 'making out', you're the one who inferred sex," Jordan assured her, nonplussed.

"Was someone thinking about a certain tall, freckled redhead perchance?" Vi questioned wryly.

Hermione just gave up right there and joined in on the laughter that ensued. She might as well loosen up about these particular subjects. After all, she was nearly of age in the Wizard World.

The laughter ceased as abruptly as it had begun and the comical grins on the three girls' faces transitioned into expressions fraught with alert and tension.

"So, I'm guessing you guys felt that too?" Vi whispered, pulling her fists up in defensive mode.

"Bingo," Jordan answered in a grimly sardonic voice.

The three slayers subconsciously bunched together and stood back-to-back gripping on their assorted weapons, which was a sword each sheathed at their wastes, a crossbow with a quiver of bolts slung over their backs, and the one thing a vampire slayer was rarely without: a sharp, wooden stake. The young slayers had felt the presence of the undead simultaneously although each felt it in her own distinct way. They could not tell exactly how many there was only that there was more than one. If there were too many for the three of them to handle alone, which was unlikely, they could simply grasp their crosses and utter the password to the small portkeys and they would be whisked away to the safety of the castle.

"How close would you wager?" Hermione whispered to her comrades.

"Close enough," Jordan mumbled.

Vi started creeping towards the left of the small group and the two followed to guard her back. She slowly ascended a small rise and when she saw beyond the rise she pushed herself flat to the ground and dragged the other two down with her.

They crawled up beside her to peer behind the scrub that was acting as their cover for the time being and gasped at what they saw. There weren't many vampires, only six that they could see, not so big that the three slayers couldn't handle them on their own. It was what they were doing that made them gasp in horror and disgust.

A purely white horse-shaped form was the center of the vampires' attention and was probably the only thing that kept the slayers from being discovered by the undead creatures. A ridged horn poked out from the creature's forehead which identified it as the creature for what it truly was. Even Vi, raised and educated in the Muggle world, would recognize that legendary beast in a heartbeat. It was a unicorn. The vampires were feeding off a unicorn and it was still alive. The poor animal was twitching in agony from the vampires all sinking their fangs into it at once.

Jordan's face contorted into a mask of hatred combined with fury so intense that when Vi and Hermione saw her they had half a mind to back away. Unicorns were her favorite animals. They had been so since she had first seen a live one at her aunt's magical creature reserve in Canada. Like many a witch and wizard she knew the price that came with drinking a unicorn's blood. The animals were so pure, so untainted, that its blood issued a double-edged sword as a gift. When one was on the brink of death the blood of a unicorn could bring him back from the brink, yet he would live a cursed, half-life in return with no chance of recovery. Death was far preferable to those with a semblance of sanity. To Jordan, drinking the blood of a unicorn was not only wrong, it was full-blown sacrilege.

How dare anyone, _anyone_, even contemplate harming such a beautiful, wondrous creature and drink of its silver elixir? She mentally smacked herself in the head when she remembered that these were vampires committing this crime of nature. They were practically crimes of nature themselves (Spike and Angel notwithstanding). That was some condolence at least, because had they been humans she probably wouldn't have been allowed to kill them. She wasn't exactly sure if the rules had changed yet on that aspect.

"Those bastards," she intoned, oddly calm. "I think we have to kill them now."

Before Vi or Hermione could appropriately respond Jordan had leapt to her feet and was running full speed towards the vampires with her wand aimed and ready. Using a fire spell she reduced one to ashes instantly and another before the vampires realized they were being attacked. Vi and Hermione quickly caught up and Hermione added her own magical firepower while Vi fired a bolt at one that landed right on target and turned the vampire to dust. The two remaining vampires were starting to doubt their ability to survive in this situation. Silver unicorn blood was dripping from their mouths and coated their fronts. The sight of it royally pissed Jordan off. She lunged at one in a flying leap and tackled it to the ground. This was actually her first time going on the offensive in a battle where she wasn't so terrified she was in danger of pissing herself like at the last stand in Sunnydale. She was running hot on the fuel of sweet fury and it overrode her fear, which justifiably was always present.

The other vampire did not stay to help his companion and instead with one last look at Hermione and Vi took off into the forest. The two other slayers were so stunned by Jordan's impulsive action that they had temporarily forgotten about the vampire until they saw him running the other way.

"Shit!" Vi cursed.

She fired a bolt after it. Unfortunately, due to the bad lighting situation she missed the heart and the bolt lodged in his left shoulder. Yelling another unladylike curse she ran after the fallen—but quickly recovering—vampire, brandishing her sharp wooden stake.

Hermione decided that since the vampire Vi had gone after was injured she could hold her own and ran to assist Jordan. The auburn-haired slayer was practically wrestling with the undead bastard which had finally decided to fight back. The vampire somehow managed to grab Jordan's wand and tried to stab her with it bringing it down heavily and just barely missing Jordan's neck. Jordan punched upward with the heel of her palm and smashed the thing's nose and kicked him off of her before Hermione grabbed him and kicked his legs out from under him. She jammed her stake through its back causing the vampire to go rigid for a split second before completely disintegrating.

"Thanks," Jordan gasped, her face coated with dirt and silver blood that the vampire had dripped on her.

"Well, it's what I do," Hermione replied airily while holding out her hand to help Jordan up.

As soon as Jordan stood upright she gasped in pain. "Oh fu—" She doubled over and had her arms wrapped around her lower ribs, which were throbbing in pain. She sucked in pained breaths of air making her entire body tremble.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked in concern. Jordan didn't answer, but gave her a thumbs-up.

Dusting herself off Jordan then looked around for Vi and found her kneeling a couple of yards away. Her hand was clasped to her stomach and she seemed to be in pain.

"Vi?!" Jordan cried, staggering towards her sister slayer with Hermione right behind her.

The redhead looked their way and raised her hands in a waving motion. Her face broke out in a wry, but pained smile when her companions reached her with wildly anxious expressions on their faces..

"I'm okay, it's just a slash. Jerk had a knife on him, but I dusted him anyway," she breathlessly explained.

Jordan searched her pockets and cursed. "Oh hell, I forgot my potion. I knew I had left something in the dorms."

Vi had suffered a superficial, but wicked looking slash across the stomach. The vampire Jordan had been fighting had gotten in a good thorough kick to her ribs sending stabbing pains throughout Jordan's torso that spread to the rest of her body whenever she stood straight. Still, she refused to portkey out of there until she had seen to the unicorn. The poor beast was beyond any help that they could give it. After a cursory examination they were able to discern that the unicorn had a broken leg, probably due to a trap that had been set, and had lost a lot of blood. For Jordan's sake, because the stubborn wench still refused to leave and they didn't think it wise to leave her alone in the woods in her state the three girls stayed with the unicorn as it died. Jordan cradled its head in her lap and hummed softly while fighting the sudden urge to weep. When it closed its silver eyes and its majestic white head slumped against Jordan's lap she shuddered and wiped at her eyes.

"Jordan? Are you crying?" Vi asked, quite incredulously.

"No! I just got some dust in my is all," Jordan denied vehemently while wiping at her eyes again.

"We had better go. You two need to take a trip to the infirmary and we need to report to Buffy and Faith and Dumbledore about the vampires feeding off the unicorns," Hermione reminded them.

"Yeah, but what about her? We can't just leave her here," Jordan pouted while Vi and Hermione latched onto her arms and pulled her up. She bit her lip and resisted the need to let spew a long list of words not suitable for children's ears as the pain from her bruised and/or broken ribs flared up feverishly.

"Jordan, you are in no state to bury a pixie let alone a unicorn. We'll let Hagrid know and he can take care of it," Hermione admonished gently.

"Come on, I'm sure Madame Pomfrey has some really good pain-killing potion that'll be just like morphine," Vi said.

Jordan reluctantly acquiesced to their pleas, but before they could say the magic words that would take them to the castle she gasped, "Wait! I gotta get my wand!"

"Wait, I'll find it," Hermione ordered her. She walked to where she was pretty sure Jordan and the vampire had had their brawl and used her wand to shed light on the ground. She found a thin wooden stick sticking out of the ground and when she got closer she grimaced. The wand was cracked in two and the other piece lay a few inches away from the one sticking out of the ground. Apparently after the vampire had stabbed the ground in a failed attempt to stab Jordan he had kept hold on the wand until Jordan kicked him off of her and it had snapped. She withdrew the piece from the ground and picked up the other piece and sighed. Jordan was not going to be happy.

--------------------

The soft skin of Dawn's hand enveloped within his own was a great distraction to the Boy Who Lived as the two ambled down the cobblestone streets of Hogsmeade. He was trying to concentrate on where he was going, but the close proximity of the lovely Slytherin girl was clouding his mind and screwing with his navigational skills.

"Damn, it's cold. I'm not the biggest fan of cold weather," Dawn remarked, pulling her jacket closer.

"Oh, do you want to borrow my jacket too?" Harry asked, willing to do anything to alleviate any discomfort Dawn was feeling.

"No, that's okay. I don't want you to freeze your ass off too. Then what use would you be to me?" She giggled.

He laughed and moved closer to her to give her more warmth. Her skin was not as tanned as it was when he had first met her, although she was still the darkest skinned Caucasian student at Hogwarts. It was early October and the weather was normal for that area, but Dawn's California-raised temperament deemed it freezing and she was constantly wearing double layers of clothing.

"I hope Jordan gets back from Diagon Alley in time to meet us at the Three Broomsticks," Dawn spoke up.

"She should be. It doesn't take that long to get a new wand. She was really upset about it this morning though," Harry told her.

"I think she was more upset about that poor unicorn last night that got killed by those vampires. She really likes unicorns," Dawn said.

"Yeah, unicorns are amazing animals. In my first year, when I had to go into the Forbidden Forest with Malfoy, Neville, Hermione, and Hagrid to serve detention for being out of bed in the middle of the night I saw my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor feeding off one. He was doing it to sustain Voldemort who he had been serving all that time. It was disgusting," Harry related to her, shivering at the memory.

"Gross," Dawn shuddered.

"Yeah, only I didn't know it was him at the time. I thought it was just Voldemort, but this was before he could take physical form," Harry explained.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is a really jinxed position, isn't it? I mean you had that Quirrell guy in your first year and he turned out to be evil, then whatshisname, Lockhart, who was a moron. Then you had Lupin in your third year who was forced to leave when people found out he was a werewolf. Then there was Moody in your fourth year. What happened with him?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, he wasn't Moody at all. I thought I told you this, he was a man named Barty Crouch who was a servant of Voldemort and drank polyjuice potion to look like Moody just so he could get close to me," Harry told her.

"Oh, right. Ever notice that they were all hiding something? Umbridge was working to get you expelled and sent those dementors after you, didn't she?" Dawn inquired.

Harry nodded curtly. Even though Umbridge eventually got what was coming to her he still seethed with hatred when he thought of that toad.

"I wonder what dark secret Professor Pennison is hiding," Dawn mused.

"Well, she hasn't done anything threatening or cruel to me yet. So far so good, but I don't want to push my luck," Harry pointed out wryly.

--------------------

It was an abomination. It was sacrilege. It was unthinkable. How could this girl who was in _his_ house dare date a Gryffindor? A cursed half-blood by the name of Potter no less. It was the sort of thing Draco Malfoy would not have in his House. He saw them walking and laughing together and his blood boiled. True, she was a filthy Mudblood, but she was in Slytherin and Slytherins did not socialize with Gryffindors when it could be avoided. It was an embarrassment to the Slytherin name. It was a scorn upon what Slytherin stood for.

Yet why was it, that he could not seem to get that American bitch by the name of Firewell out of his head? He recalled the anger on her face when he had insulted her and thrown her vial of potion across the compartment. He wanted to make her angry again just to see the fire it brought into her honey eyes. But she was a vampire slayer, which presented a problem on his part because that meant she could thrash him easily. Draco Malfoy might be an ambitious young man, but he wasn't a fool. He no longer had the luxury of calling on his father to defend him now that the bastard was in Azkaban.

And Draco was actually happy about that. What he felt for his father was a burning hatred that singed his soul. He had worked so hard to gain acceptance from his father, which was made all the more difficult by his elder sister's betrayal and death. Yet, nothing had seemed to please the man. What if Draco didn't want to have a fancy skull mark burned onto him? What if he was smart enough to see that the Mudbloods, Muggles, and half-bloods were here to stay? They outnumbered the pureblooded ones and it seemed that this sixteen-year-old Slytherin was the only one to see it. It was folly to try to destroy them all and it was folly for him to rebel against the dark lord. The family Malfoy had served Voldemort loyally for years and his father had been one of the inner circle. Any attempt at betrayal would result in the same end as his sister: death. Of course Senna had been poisoned by his father before she could properly expose him. Draco had a feeling he would suffer a lot worse should he betray them. The rock and the hard place had trapped the Slytherin Prince once again.

He still hated the Mudbloods, half-bloods, and blood-traitors because that was how he was raised and were it not for them Draco wouldn't be in this muddle. But he saw clearly where many of his brethren did not. Their ardent dislike of the Muggles, Mudbloods, and half-bloods would not make them go away. If anything, the assorted Death Eater attacks on innocent people merely strengthened their resolve and added fuel to their fire. There was truth to the statement, what doesn't kill them only makes them stronger. Maybe those blokes in Voldemort's inner circle had a death wish, but he didn't. He wanted to live. And now that the Slayers were involved in the battle, Draco had a feeling who the winner would turn out to be and it wasn't Voldemort.

Funny how he only started thinking seriously on these subjects when Voldemort's return became public to the Wizard World. It must have been because he had been free to do what he wished during that summer after his fifth year. His father hadn't been at home and on his back every waking moment possible. His mother, well, he was sure she was still alive. He knew she lived at their manor, but he barely saw her. Narcissa Malfoy figured that her job was finished once she pushed out the babies. Nursemaids and servants were for raising them. She had more important things to worry about than her son, her only living child.

Had this been what Senna was thinking? Had she also seen the hopelessness in Voldemort's dream? Was that why she sought to bring her father down? Why hadn't she been more careful then? Why had she brazenly gone to their father to urge him to surrender to the ones against Voldemort? That wasn't what Slytherins did. That was a Gryffindor thing. Just like dying for a cause was a Gryffindor thing more than a Slytherin thing. Senna had died a year before Draco entered Hogwarts. She had been sixteen years old going on seventeen, in her last year, about to graduate. She couldn't have waited until she got out of school? If her plan had worked would things have turned out differently for Draco? He would never know because Senna was gone and Draco was left with what was left of his "family".

Even after six years it still hurt. Draco never admitted to himself that he missed his sister still. He kept telling himself he had outgrown such useless emotions, but it was hard to let go of the only person who ever showed you an ounce of affection. He and Senna had bonded out of mutual dislike of their parents and the two of them needed each other in the harsh atmosphere of Malfoy manor. He remembered when she would go off to school for term and he was left at home, but he would frequently send letters to her and she to him and sometimes he would even floo to the Slytherin Common Room when he was feeling particularly lonely.

That was the reason he hated Potter most of all. Despite growing up with Muggle relatives and having lost his parents at the age of one, Potter still seemed to have it all. He had friends, good friends who liked him for who he was and not his power or money not that Potter had much of the former. He had the admiration of a good chunk of the school and the Wizard World, he had a loving pseudo-family in the Weasleys. Potter, Dumbledore's Golden Boy. The kid that got away with everything just because he had a stupid scar on his forehead. Draco really didn't give a rat's ass that it had been Potter who was supposedly the reason for Voldemort's downfall fifteen years ago, which was the reason most purebloods loyal to the dark lord hated him. In Draco's case, it was envy pure and simple.

He gave a scoffing hiss at Dawn and Harry snuggling close. Just what did that wench think she was doing? He felt he had to remind her what house she was in lest she bring even _more_ shame down upon it. Beckoning to Crabbe and Goyle he stalked over to the coddling pair. Dawn saw him coming.

"Drakey? How lovely to see you this morning. What does his Royal Prickness want?" she greeted cheerfully, keeping her arms entwined around Harry.

"Summers, firstly: you are not to call me by those names. Secondly: what the bloody hell do you think you're doing? Mudblood you may be, I'll not have you shaming the Slytherin House anymore than you've already done by dating Potter," Draco stated through gritted teeth.

Dawn rolled her eyes, while Harry tightened his grip around her waist. He was getting angry, she could tell. "Malfoy, I don't believe what Dawn does is any of your business. So bugger off!"

"Shut up, Potter! This doesn't concern you!" Draco spat.

Dawn's blue eyes flashed. "It does concern him. I'm the one fricken dating him and I'll continue to date him whether you like it or not. I must have missed the memo that stated you were the boss of me, so you'll have to excuse me if I don't obey your orders oh wise one."

"Fine Summers, you want to sully your reputation further, have at it. It doesn't matter to me any. I just thought it was my duty to you as a Slytherin to warn you of the consequences of your actions. Potter's house won't be too happy with this either in case you didn't know. Slytherins and Gryffindors hate each other. We don't socialize outside of school unless absolutely necessary and Potter knows that. Have fun being pariahs the both of you," Draco growled.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" someone asked.

All five students turned to see Jordan standing there with her brand new wand in her hair (a little thing she picked up from Dawn) and carrying a couple bags.

"Hey Jordan! You got here faster than I thought," Dawn greeted, forgetting for the moment that Draco was there.

"Well, it didn't take me long to find my new wand. I got one on the third try and then hightailed it to here," she explained, then she saw them looking at her bags and stammered nervously, "Oh, um, I made a few stops on the way. Just to pick up some...potion stuff...for school."

Harry snorted. Jordan probably had enough personal potion ingredients to supply the Apothecary at Diagon Alley. He suspected it was Dawn's belated birthday present in there.

Jordan looked at Draco who was eyeing her strangely. "Did you want something, Drakey?"she drawled.

She laughed when his face contorted into rage. That nickname Dawn started irked him so much. It was awesome.

"No, I believe _Drakey_ and his half-wit trolls were just leaving," Harry stated levelly, his green eyes flashing with mirth.

Draco suppressed the urge to punch Harry's lights out because he knew that Dawn and Jordan would both come to his defense and he had heard from the sixth year girls what she had done to Pansy Parkinson. He had already been humiliated once by both of the girls albeit in different ways each time. He was not fool enough to put himself in that precarious position again. He glared at the three antagonists before stalking off with Crabbe and Goyle following close behind.

"That's odd," Harry remarked.

"What is?" Jordan asked.

"He didn't try and get in his last word," Harry explained.

"I think he was too pissed off to talk. Come on, let's check out Fred and George's store. We haven't been there yet," Dawn said.

They entered the Weasley twins' colorfully decorated joke shop, while rather small, was still charming and appealing. Harry was glad to see his money from winning the Triwizard Tournament had done well for the boys. One of the twins was at the register wrapping up a box for a customer.

"Harry! Dawn! Jordan! I'll be right with you," he greeted.

"Okay, which one is that?" Jordan asked.

"I dunno. You're a twin. Can't you like sense the difference between other twins?" Harry said.

"Sure Harry, I have Twin E.S.P.," Jordan retorted sarcastically. "I'm a fraternal twin, they're identical twins. There's a difference and where the hell did you get that idea?"

"I can't be sure, but I think that one's Fred," Dawn whispered.

After he finished servicing the customer the Weasley twin came to greet them.

"Morning mates. George would be here, but he's taken a 'pre-lunch' break is what he calls it so he can go off and snog with Vi," Fred told them.

Jordan nearly choked on shock. "Huh? When did this happen? And where the hell was I?"

Dawn and Harry looked at each other in surprise. Jordan was still reeling.

"She never said a word about him. I'm impressed she was able to keep this secret from me," she said and then added, "And somewhat annoyed."

"Relax, George never told me either. I just caught a glimpse of them snogging two weeks ago," Fred assured her.

"That's...nice. Anyway, we're meeting with Hermione, Ron, Aidan, and Ginny at the Three Broomsticks later. If you wanna hang come with us," Dawn offered. "I mean, if you have someone else to watch the shop."

"Have to pass on that one. I've got a date meself. Angelina is coming by later," Fred said, with a gleam in his eyes. "So, here to purchase anything or did you just stop by for a chat?"

"I could use something to get Malfoy with," Harry suggested.

"Ah, Malfoy has been at it again, eh? Little git," Fred replied.

"Yeah, he was feeding me and Harry this bullshit about bringing shame down upon our houses by dating or something like that. He's such an asshole," Dawn told him.

"He's got a nice ass though," Jordan pointed out.

Dawn didn't reply, but she did secretly agree. Harry and Fred made faces of disgust.

"Why don't you ask him out then?" Fred joked.

Jordan snorted. "Yeah, the day I do that I'll let you and your brother use me as a model for your joke treats."

Everyone laughed and Fred said, "I'll hold you to that."

--------------------

The Three Broomsticks was sparsely populated. So much even an inexperienced Muggle could tell. Xander stepped inside the warm pub and sought out the familiar faces of his friends. He frowned when he didn't see anyone he recognized, but then shrugged and figured he was just a bit early.

He sauntered up to the counter where a beautiful, middle-aged witch was serving the few patrons that frequented the bar amidst the dismal situation with Voldemort's return. Xander wracked his brain in trying to remember her name from the last time he had been here during the summer. He pulled out some wizard coins, still marveling at how these people could name a coin _knuts_ and sat down.

"Are you a muggle?" someone inquired beside him curiously. The voice had a hint of a French accent that brought back rather unpleasant memories from high school French class. Nonetheless, the beautiful low timbre of the voice overrode the unpleasantness it conjured up and he turned with a smile.

His breath caught in his throat and his chocolate brown eyes, even his magical prosthetic eye, widened in awe. Sitting beside him was the most stunningly magnificent young woman he had ever seen in his entire life. Silvery blonde hair set in layers and subtle waves rested on delicate shoulders over lavender colored silk robes. Her face was exquisitely set like she had been drawn by the most talented artist in the world with ruby red lips and a small, delicate nose. Her eyes were large cerulean drops set under straight, perfect brows. Her fair skin seemed to shimmer in the scant light the torches bracketing the walls managed to shed on her. Yet, in Xander's opinion she seemed to glow with an inner light of her own.

So entranced was he by her beauty that he did not answer he question until she asked it again with a frown of confusion on her lovely face. Xander's face became beet red in embarrassment for staring like that, although he imagined she was quite used to it. How could one so lovely as this be human? With a trickling of suspicion and foreboding triggered by past experiences of having never dated a normal woman besides Cordelia Chase—and even her normal credibility was questionable—he was beginning to doubt that she was in human. After all, he was Xander Harris. Xander Harris didn't date normal, human women. They had to be either: giant preying mantises, Inca mummies, a high school drama queen who later got visions from the Powers That Be, a demon in disguise using his blood to release Turok-Hans, or an ex-vengeance demon.

"Uh, sorry. Yeah, I'm a Muggle. Was it that obvious?" he finally answered.

The woman smiled and giggled slightly. "A little. I was just...surprised...you know? It is not very safe for those of non-wizard kind because of You-Know-Who. Of course, it's not safe for wizard-kind either. My family has been writing to me to come back home to France for quite some time now."

"Ah, I knew I recognized your accent. Big time trip down memory lane to high school French," Xander quipped. He then remembered his manners and held out his hand. "I'm Xander Harris. Here from the states to help out you guys in your big fight."

The girl shook his hand and replied. "Fleur Delacour." She then gasped. "I've heard of you! You were in the Daily Prophet! You are one of the warriors from America come to help us fight You-Know-Who. You are a friend of the Slayers, no?"

Xander smiled in delighted surprise. "A warrior? Well, I am the glorified brick layer or so a certain dead man says. And yes, the oldest slayer happens to be one of my best friends, Buffy Summers."

Fleur beamed in admiration. "You must be so brave, living on a hellmouth. There is a hellmouth in southwestern France, but I have never felt an inclination to go there."

Xander nodded in understanding. "Yeah, they're not the best place to live if you like living and all. But Sunnydale certainly didn't lack for adventure, I'll tell you that. It never got boring."

"No, I wouldn't imagine," Fleur said. "Is it true that you fought an army of vampires at this hellmouth?"

Xander shrugged. "Well, Buffy and the girls did most of the fighting, but yeah, we kicked their asses back to hell."

Fleur murmured some French phrase that, while Xander didn't understand the words exactly he understood the expression. He figured it was pretty close to "holy shit." He was caught again at a loss for words as he couldn't help but drink in the splendid sight of her. He was still worried that she was a demon in disguise, but it seemed quite impossible that such an exquisite creature could be anything but an angel. He was torn by wanting to run off to Willow and Buffy and have them check her out to make sure she was safe or just giving Fleur the benefit of the doubt and continue flirting. He wasn't able to think of a polite way to ask if she was a demon or not.

"How about I get you a drink?" Xander tried.

Fleur quirked an eyebrow and looked back at her near-empty glass. "That would be very kind of you. Thank you, Mister Harris."

"Please, just call me Xander. Every time someone calls me Mister Harris I keep thinking that Agent Smith is lurking around," he joked. At Fleur's blank expression he winced. "Witch, right. Forgot you wouldn't get Muggle pop culture."

After their drinks were ordered they sat talking amiably together. Each exchanged stories about their lives and Xander was able to discern that the Hogwarts Scooby gang—a.k.a. Harry, Ron, and Hermione—knew Fleur from their fourth year. _Good, they oughta know if she's a demon or not_, he thought cynically.

Fleur spoke of the competition known as the Triwizard Tournament that happened two years ago rather dolefully. Apparently, she had been attacked in the last task and one competitor, a Hogwarts student, had been killed. Xander finally put two and two together and saw that her story matched with Harry's account. It was the year Voldemort had returned to power.

"At first, I did not want to believe he was back. It was too terrible to think of. But, I knew that Harry would not lie about such a thing. It must be even more terrible for him," she told him softly.

"Well, he's doing pretty well now," Xander assured her. He smiled slightly when he thought of the main reason why Harry was doing so much better and her name started with D and ended with awn.

"Good. He's had it hard enough. And I'll admit I wasn't as nice to him as I should have been when I first met him. But after he rescued my sister in the second task I warmed up to him. He is a very nice boy," Fleur declared. After a beat, she looked at her watch and frowned in disappointment. She obviously did not want to leave so soon. "Forgive me, Xander, but I must go. Are you staying at Hogwarts?"

Xander was taken aback by flattery, but composed himself and replied, "Um, yeah. Most of the time."

"Perhaps, I shall have to visit that school more often. But if it's all right with you, perhaps I could write to you?" she asked, her cheeks flushing.

His heart began to pound mercilessly on his ribs as he croaked out a yes. She had to be a demon. There was no way this could be going so well. Not with his luck. Yet, Xander still dared to hope.

The smile on her face, if at all possible, made her appear even more ethereally beautiful. "Sorry, if I seem impulsive. But...you are a very nice man, Xander. It was very nice meeting you and I hope I see you again."

"Me too. I mean, it was nice meeting you too, Fleur. Maybe next time you'll get to meet the rest of the gang," he offered.

"I would like that. Goodbye." Fleur waved coyly at him and walked out the door with Xander's eyes trailing after her.

For a moment he sat there, dumbfounded at his good fortune in meeting and subsequently charming the most beautiful woman in this dimension. He even noticed his ever-present dull ache over his loss of Anya was lessened quite a bit by meeting Fleur.

"What is in this stuff?" Xander asked in bewilderment as he lifted his glass of butterbeer.

"Hey, lookie here it's the Xandman," came the voice of Faith.

The dark-haired slayer sat herself right beside him where Fleur had sat and Buffy made herself comfortable on the other side.

Faith explained their tardiness. "Sorry, we're late. B and I were caught up in Fred and George's shop. It is bitchin'. You check it out yet?"

Buffy frowned at Xander's love-struck expression. "What's with the smitten grin?"

Xander merely shook his head at his best friend and laughed quietly. For a while, he would keep Fleur to himself.

--------------------

**wyredsisters: **Eek driver's ed. I just finished mine. Good luck. Yeah, I kind of depend on you being picky. Hope to see you back to yourself soon.

**CharmedChick: **Well I already took and aced my written so thank god for that. Don't worry, Faith and Xander won't get together. It didn't sit too well with me either.

**Silver Warrior: **Yeah, Buffy _does_ seem to always go after the older guys. Wonder if she'll go with the trend today when she's forty and date younger men. I think I'm gonna have Tonks for Willow, but that's a good idea nonetheless.

**matt: **Hehe. It's okay. It's nothing worse than what I hear from my father. And no, Xander just got a normal eye magical eye. Well, as normal as you can get a magical eye. lol.

**Wanderingsoul24: **Well, as you have read Vi has already hooked up with George Weasley. But I hope you don't mind Fleur/Xander.

**Panther28: **Yeah, Quidditch is awesome. I love heights for some reason cuz I like to be scared a little, but I don't think I could handle just a broomstick holding you up in the air either.

Thanks also to: **BA Shipper '99**, **Vld**, and **Dragon Doll.**


	28. Chapter Twentyeight

****

Ah, finally managed to finish this chapter. I've been dealing with a slight family conflict and since my dad and I are neutral territory, everyone's been coming over and all that. Haven't had much time to myself amidst that and homework. But at least it's in. Thanks a lot to my _patient_ reviewers. I'm really sorry. And is anyone else getting sick of all these hurricanes? I would so hate to live in Florida or anywhere in the Southeast right now for that matter. I'm still getting tons of rain though. Hope any of my readers that do live in those are safe as well as their friends and family.

This chapter is dedicated to **Malli**. I couldn't believe that she had passed away, but I don't know what happened. If anyone wants to enlighten me that would be most appreciated. I was really enjoying her story, "The Phoenix Child", and it is so sad that such a talented author has been taken.

--------------------

After reading the Anne Rice novels that had piqued her interests in Muggle bookstores Jordan suddenly gained a new appreciation for the real vampires she and her brethren fought on a day-to-day basis. Although, she had to admit that were she ever to meet this sexy Lestat or especially this alluring Armand character who seemed to get straight men to rethink their preferences she probably would be caught between being scared shitless and delighted beyond belief.

Unfortunately, while caught up in one of the novels Miss Rice had so artfully composed she had drifted away from her class en route to Potions class of all classes and was now running seven minutes late due to those stupid changing staircases. Well, she cheated a bit on those by leaping to the one she needed, which she probably shouldn't do lest some younger student see it and try to attempt it. But no one else was around, so she figured what they didn't see they couldn't repeat and get her into trouble for it.

She played the "slayer business" trump card once, which oddly enough, Professor Snape seemed to accept and only deducted twenty-five points from Gryffindor instead of the usual fifty. Now, she figured it was time to use the "lady emergency" trump card. It would give all the boys in the class a good long cringe and shudder, she noted to herself with a smirk.

Flying down the stone corridors to the dungeons at slayer speed she failed to notice the soaking wet floor in front of the haunted girl's bathroom and went sliding. She flew backwards and hit the stone floor with a loud thump her head smacking against the hard stone floor. Books and paper went flying everywhere and Jordan curse loudly in fury.

She slowly sat up and put a hand to her aching head where a knot was beginning to grow. Luckily, she detected no bleeding and she figured with her stamina there would be no brain damage. But now she was wet in the back and she knew damn well whose fault it was. _That goddamned, pathetic, self-pitying ghost! I swear to God isn't fifty years enough to get over anything that happened to you in life. I'm never coming back as a ghost._

Jordan rose to her feet and gathered her scattered supplies while using her brand new wand to perform various drying charms. She sighed in annoyance when she heard the telltale moanings of the resident ghost of the Girl's Toilet, Moaning Myrtle. Letting her anger get the better of her she stalked into that bathroom and kicked open the stall with the flooding toilet.

"What is it now? Somebody make fun of your glasses again?" she asked impatiently.

The distraught specter ceased her moanings for a moment to stare in shock at the living girl who was standing before her looking extremely incensed. She sniffled and continued crying.

"Oh, shut up already! I honestly don't know how Harry and his friends put up with you. If you're crying about being dead then get over it already! You've been dead for over fifty years! It's not like you can do anything about that. Pass over or whatever it is ghosts do if being on the mortal plane torments you so much. Nearly-Headless Nick has been dead longer than you and he died of a far more painful death, but you don't see him griping about it all the time," Jordan spat. She understood having those moments, but this constant whining was ridiculous.

Shifting her books to the other arm, the young slayer continued, "If someone made fun of you for Merlin-knows what reason then suck it up and confront them or whatever. Sitting here crying about it won't help you, it just makes you a more amusing candidate for making fun, FYI. Believe me, I know this."

She knew that she was probably being a bit too hard on the dead girl, but having missed breakfast that morning and dinner the night before due to the continual struggle to keep her head above water in Transfiguration and the jittery nerves from the upcoming Quidditch game against the Gryffindor House rival, Slytherin, that afternoon was making her prone to bouts of irrational anger.

Myrtle's translucent face contorted into an expression of shock and a new wave of misery. "Just go away and leave me alone!" she howled.

Jordan would have stayed and continued haranguing the child spirit, but she was as of now almost ten minutes late for Potions and it would take at least another two to get to the classroom. She threw up her hands in frustration and stomped out of the bathroom.

--------------------

Once again scanning the classroom for the auburn-headed pupil of his that was so resentfully gifted with potions Professor Severus Snape rubbed his temples. The rest of the class was busy copying down new notes for silencing potions, but he noticed some of his Gryffindor pupils, namely the Firewell girl's twin brother and Potter's gang, anxiously looking to the doorway for a sign of their friend.

He also noticed one of his more favored students, Draco Malfoy, turn his gaze away from the board and to the doorway occasionally. Why he seemed interested in the girl's whereabouts were beyond this professor's comprehension, but it was plain to see.

Twelve minutes after the commencement of class the wayward teen arrived into the classroom looking disheveled and disgruntled. Snape idly wondered what had occurred in those minutes between leaving her previous class and arriving to his most unfashionably late, but swept it from his mind. All that mattered was that she was most certainly tardy and he could not ignore that fact no matter how astonishingly talented at potion brewing she was. Already a little soft spot was beginning to form—which the wizard would deny from now unto eternity—for the American slayer-witch, who was a child of a man who despised him; as if that were uncommon for a man of his distinctly dark and shameful past.

He cleared his throat and centered his obsidian eyes on the girl. "Miss Firewell, are you aware of the time this class starts?"

Jordan tucked a stray reddish-brown strand behind her ear and replied apologetically, "I'm sorry, Sir. But...I got lost in the corridors and had the privilege of coming across Moaning Myrtle in one of her many moaning moods." He fancied he heard a vague muttering of "whining dead crybaby twit".

No one required further explanation as to what had occurred and Snape proceeded to deduct forty-five points from Gryffindor. Jordan slid into her seat beside Neville Longbottom, whom she had taken it upon herself to assist and guide the hapless boy in his worst (and occasionally most dangerous to self and others) subject. Contrary to his usual technique of causing students to despise him all the time by splitting the Gryffindors and Slytherins and forcing them to work together, Snape let this pair stay as it was. The boy's progress in class had made a slight improvement, but only slight. At least he hadn't melted a cauldron that year as of yet, but they still had many long months to go before the end-of-term and this Potions Master was reluctant to push his tenuous luck.

Jordan began scrawling down the notes almost absent-mindedly having already concocted a silencing potion similar to the one they were to be making a few years back during a summer vacation. Although, she had miscalculated on some ingredient measuring thus causing the whole family to go mute for four days upon voluntary testing before she was able to find and brew the antidote. From that time on she was left to test on herself...most of the time. Aidan was a part-time candidate having learned to differentiate between the beneficial and not-so-beneficial mixtures.

After the hour and a half was finished signaling the end of lessons for the day students leapt for the doorway to gulp down dinner before heading to the Pitch. Although it was the second game of the season the Gryffindors had played, it was the game that centered everyone's favorite rivals: Gryffindor and Slytherin. The pressure on the newly crafted Gryffindor team was extremely heavy, and Jordan was feeling the weight of it. The pressure had never been nearly as bad as at Cristallon, although that was probably because Quidditch wasn't as big a deal in the States as it was in Europe.

"So, what did our old toilet chum have to say?" Harry inquired as the group stepped out of the classroom.

Jordan snorted sardonically. "As she if said much of anything. She just cried and cried and I told her off; told her to get over it."

Aidan frowned. "Why did you do that? That sounds kinda mean."

His twin sighed in annoyance. "Because I happen to be in a particularly bitchy mood right now."

Hermione patted her friend on the back. "Nervous about the game?"

Jordan quickly shook her head, but after receiving a look from Hermione that basically said, _You are so full of shit_, she relented and nodded. "I swear, it's like life or death here and I'm only used to the actual life or death situations. Why is it that I find the thought of going out and facing twenty vampires at once more appealing than playing in the Quidditch game tonight?"

"Jordan, you'll do great. You did well the last game we played, although that was only against Hufflepuff," Ron told her in an attempt to alleviate her worries.

The girl just rolled her eyes and walked ahead before stopping and turning around. "Crap, I left my potions textbook in the classroom. Go on ahead without me, I'll catch up and hopefully not slip on Myrtle's mess."

She walked past her friends and rounded the corner to head back down to the dungeons only to come face to face with Draco Malfoy. He was smirking at her with that customary and very resentfully sexy smirk of his. Why did he have to be so hot, but such an asshole at the same time?

She groaned inwardly and muttered aloud very quietly, "Figures. A perfect almost end to the perfect fricking day."

"Forget something?" he inquired smugly.

Jordan plastered on the most obviously sarcastic smile she could muster. "What do you want? I really don't have the patience for any of your shit today, Malfoy."

If it was at all possible for the boy to actually feel emotions, her remark actually seemed to have hurt his feelings. She then figured it was just a fluke of her imagination and brushed it aside.

Draco's smirk disappeared and he held out the object Jordan had been going back to get: her potions textbook. She recognized it as hers because of the book covering decorated with dozens of little mindless doodles mostly consisting of bad drawings of weaponry. She stared at her book in complete bafflement and her honey eyes darted back to the platinum-haired Slytherin and back to her book and then back to him.

"Well, are you just going to stand there goggling or are you going to take the book?" Draco asked with an odd mixture of impatience, amusement, and sarcasm.

She slowly reached out and took the book from his grasp trying to figure what exactly he was playing at. Could it be possible that the infamous Draco Malfoy, Boy With Ego Larger Than Brains, was actually doing something....humane? Now that was bizarre. Draco Malfoy and humane being put in the same sentence. From everything she had heard of this boy's exploits towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione for the past five years and from what she had seen herself it was very difficult to wrap her mind around it.

"Thanks," she mumbled, still dumbfounded. "I'll...uh...see you at the game."

She turned away from the tall Slytherin and walked up to the dining hall still sporting that strange frown of complete mystification. _What was up with him?_

_--------------------_

Harry appraised his Quidditch team with an undeniable swelling in pride within his chest. He hoped the horrendous weather of that night would not spell ill for their game. Well, it wasn't the weather outside that bothered him because he had played in really bad weather before, it was more the fact that the last time he had played against Slytherin he and Fred and George Weasley had ended up getting kicked off the team by Umbridge. He knew that it wasn't likely he would be kicked off again since Umbride was where she belonged, at St. Mungo's. But he couldn't shake his feeling of apprehension at facing Slytherin in his position as co-captain instead of just the Seeker. If they lost against the Slytherins who were their most fervent rivals, Harry couldn't help but feel it was his fault.

He saw out of the corner of his eye Aidan beckoning him over from the entrance to the changing rooms. He walked over to the Chaser with a questioning look on his face. Aidan simply smiled and pointed out the door. Harry opened it and his smile soon surpassed the tall American's when he saw his girlfriend standing outside. Dawn had a green and silver scarf wrapped around her neck and a black jacket on, but she held a Gryffindor flag in her hands.

"Dawn, you didn't have to do that. I don't want you to further alienate yourself in that house," Harry said, although he could not help but be pleased at her loyalty.

"Aw, it's no big. Besides, what kinda girlfriend would I be if I didn't support my boyfriend?" she replied sweetly. "I'm not sitting with the Slytherins anyway. I'm sitting with the Scoobies."

Harry grinned and pulled her close to him giving her a grateful kiss on the lips. "Thanks. It means a lot to me." Just then, the booming voice of the announcer filled the pitch signaling to everyone that the games were about to start.

"I better split. Good luck and be careful," Dawn told Harry, giving him one last kiss for luck before scampering off.

Harry sighed when he heard the snickers behind him and turned to glare at his teammates. They were all standing outside the changing rooms decked out in crimson robes trimmed with gold, goggles, brown knee and elbow padding, and brown padded gloves.

"Great, Harry isn't going to be able to concentrate and Ron isn't thanks to Hermione. I believe all significant others should stay away from the changing rooms before games now," Seamus complained.

Ron managed to only turn slightly pink at the comment directed toward Hermione's own well-wishing from before. Ginny rolled her eyes at Seamus and shoved him.

"Shut it, Seamus. Harry and Ron will do fine. You're just jealous because _you_ don't have someone to snog with," she retorted.

Harry cleared his throat a couple of times and latched onto the matter at hand as an appropriate subject change. "Everyone ready? Now remember, as long as you play your hardest it won't matter if we win or lose."

"Harry, are you joking? Of course it matters, we're playing bloody Slytherin!" Ron shouted. "And we have to beat the stupid ponces!"

"Yeah!" the team shouted simultaneously.

With that goal established, the Gryffindor team confidently strutted onto the pitch as if they were a group of soldiers heading off to battle. The applause and the screams of encouragement (and some of discouragement from the Slytherin end) as the Gryffindor team walked onto the pitch was deafening. They all separated into their assorted positions facing opposite the emerald and silver robed Slytherin team. Everyone lowered their goggles over their eyes and gripped onto their broom handles tightly.

Harry and Ron shook hands with the Slytherin captain as Madam Hooch walked onto the field with her whistle in her hand. The flying instructor eyed both teams with a pointed glare in warning for them all to behave themselves. She lifted her whistle to her mouth and called out shrilly, "On my mark! One....two....three!"

The screams from the audience were even more vociferous than before as the fourteen players rose above the ground. A flash of lightning illuminated the darkening pitch for a split second and was followed by an ominous crack of thunder. Harry sighed at the horrendous weather to come, but he had played in bad weather before and this time would be no different. He hoped so anyway.

He felt his blood rush through his veins at breakneck speed as he swooped and swerved all over the pitch keeping his eyes on the lookout for the tiny, golden Snitch. He barely heard the announcer's voice, some seventh-year Ravenclaw he didn't know, as she commentated on the game. He saw Ron swerve by him and bat away a Bludger that would have knocked Harry off his broom.

"Thanks!" Harry yelled.

Ron gave him a thumbs-up and flew away to the other end of the pitch.

--------------------

Dawn held her binoculars to her eyes as she followed Harry's every move feeling her pulse quicken in panic when he nearly got clobbered by a Bludger. Luckily, Ron came swooped in just in time to direct the enchanted ball elsewhere. This was the third official Quidditch game she had ever watched (the second one Gryffindor was in) and she was even more convinced that every player out there had to be half-insane to actually like playing. Sure, it was fun to watch, but Dawn could never in a million years picture herself as a Quidditch player.

"Dawnie, are you actually watching the game or just Harry?" her sister asked mischievously.

Dawn lowered her binoculars and smiled sheepishly. "So sue me, I want to support my boyfriend."

"Okay, so Harry is the one flying around doing nothing right now?" Xander inquired, pressing the binoculars to his eye-sockets.

"He's doing _something_. He's looking for the golden Snitch. If he catches it, it'll give the Gryffindors 150 points and the game will be over hopefully with Gryffindor having won," George Weasley, who was sitting in front of Xander, Dawn, and Buffy with Vi, told him.

"Ah, gotcha. This game is kind of confusing," Xander confessed.

"Ah it's not so hard to understand, mate. Once you've been around it enough it's like second nature. I really miss playing, meself. My brother and I were Beaters just like ickle Ronnikins down there," George said.

Vi and Dawn laughed. "Good thing Ron wasn't here to hear that," Vi said.

"What? I call him those names all the time. I'd wager he's used to it by now," George replied defensively.

"Ron's doin pretty good. Did your talent rub off on him?" Faith, seated beside Buffy, queried.

Before the Weasley twin could answer the group was joined by the fashionably late resident Wicca. Willow scooted in between Xander and Dawn with a resounding sigh of pent up annoyance.

"Will, where have you been? The game started fifteen minutes ago," Xander said to her.

"Sorry, I got carried away with another failed locating spell. That bastard that keeps spying on me, whoever he is, has done his homework. I can't locate him at all," Willow explained, her voice brimming with frustration.

Everyone exchanged troubled looks at Willow's infuriating predicament. They knew how long the Wicca had been working to find the creep that was using magic to keep an eye on her, but kept evading her attempts to find him. Buffy and Faith felt particularly helpless in this aspect because they were used to being able to solve problems albeit usually having to use physical force.

"Hasn't anyone at those covens been helping?" Buffy asked.

Willow rubbed her temples and nodded. "Yeah, they haven't found squat either. I hate this. This creep can see me, but I can't get a whiff of him at all; assuming it is a man."

Xander patted her back reassuringly. "Don't worry, Will. We'll find this guy soon enough. We're the Scoobies, there's nothing we can't do."

"Except figure out who this mystery lady of yours is, Xand," Buffy interjected wryly.

Willow's bad mood bounced back instantly at that subject change. "Hey, yeah! When are we supposed to meet your new girlfriend?"

Xander shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend. Now anyway. And she's visiting her family right now, but we've been writing."

"Is she a demon?" Dawn asked, quite seriously.

"No!" Xander exclaimed before sheepishly adding, "I don't think. She's only _the_ most beautiful girl I've ever met in....ever."

"With your track record, man, you shoulda had me and B check her out," Faith told him. "Can't be too careful."

"You can't keep her secret for long, you know. I have ways of finding out things," Willow warned him, her dark green eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Could you at least tell us her name?" Buffy pleaded.

Xander grinned and wagged a finger at his friends. "I just love to watch you guys squirm over nominal stuff."

Dawn scoffed at that remark and mumbled, "Evil."

-------------------

When the rain clouds started pouring down the rain they had promised the score was at a stalemate of sixty to sixty. The eagerness of the audience had begun to slack off slightly due to the desire to get out of the rain and in front of warm crackling fires.

Ginny, with the Quaffle tucked underneath her arm, batted annoying red strands of hair out of her face as she flew towards the goalposts. She chanced a quick glance all around her and assured herself that Jordan and Aidan were close by in case she would have to pass to them. She narrowed her hazel eyes on the goal posts about a few hundred yards in front of her and kicked it into higher gear.

The redheaded Chaser failed to notice a large, seventh-year Slytherin Chaser closing in on her. Unlike the Gryffindors, the Slytherins did not generally carry an intrinsic sense of honor. They were willing to go to any means to see their wishes carried out. This was seen quite often upon the Quidditch pitch during games and mostly when played against Gryffindor. The larger, stronger Chaser slammed into the small Weasley girl effectively and possibly not unintentionally knocking her off her broom. Audible gasps could be heard from the entire crowd as if were one giant entity witnessing the spectacle. Ginny was far too shocked to scream during the fall before she fell right into another player it seemed, who had dived underneath to catch her. It took a moment between screaming hysterically and her rescuer's own voice of assurance before she realized she hadn't fallen far and her entrails were not in fact coating the muddy pitch.

"Ginny! Are you okay!?" her rescuer asked anxiously.

Shaking uncontrollably, she didn't respond; she didn't even open her eyes to see who had caught her. She heard other voices clamoring about around her, none she could distinguish from the other. She could barely hear the sound of her own breathing over the pounding of her heart.

"Take her down! I've got her broom!" someone called out.

"That arsehole! What the bloody hell was he playing at?" someone else yelled angrily.

"Is she alright?"

"Jesus Christ, that would have been one helluva drop."

Harry and Ron called for a time out and Madam Hooch was screaming herself hoarse for the Slytherin responsible to dismount so she could scream at him some more. Most of the audience was noisily calling for a severe penalty and some Gryffindor students were running onto the field to see if their housemate was safe.

Aidan had been the one who caught her and he was currently trying to pry her off of him. Ginny was so petrified that she had clung to him like glue and was starting to greatly impair his breathing.

"Gin,gaspwe're on the ground now. You can gasp let go now...please," he stammered.

"Ginny, it's alright. You're safe," Ron, his skin paler than usual, said breathlessly while rubbing his younger sister's back.

Ginny opened her eyes tentatively and released her vice-like grip on Aidan. She peeled herself off of the boy and shakily stood on her own two feet with her brother by her side. Her boyfriend came into view and engulfed her in a tight hug while whispering soothing words in her ear.

"I'm fine, Dean. Just a little...winded," she assured him, her voice quivering slightly.

She looked over his shoulder to see Harry trying to placate an extremely incensed Jordan who was holding onto her broom and Ginny's broom. She looked very near to ripping the Slytherin who shoved Ginny off her broom to keep her from scoring limb from limb. What was scary was that Jordan was very physically capable of doing just that.

"How dare you pull something like this! Your actions were completely unfounded and reckless. Miss Weasley could have been killed! What were you thinking?!" Madam Hooch reprimanded harshly, shaking her fist at the boy.

Jordan stomped away from the scene with the most furious glare Ginny had ever seen upon the young slayer's face. Her glare softened to a frown of concern when she came upon the redheaded Chaser.

"Everything alright? I...erm....saved your broom." Jordan proffered the scuffed Cleansweep to Ginny. "Is it always like this against the Slytherins? Competition was _never_ that tense at Cristallon when Aidan and I were on the Quidditch team."

"Well, it's not the first time the Slytherins have tried to sabotage the Gryffindor team and it probably won't be the last. The only reason the Gryffindor team doesn't do it is because we're 'noble' as some like to put it," Hermione, who had raced down from the stands along with Dean, explained. Her fair skin was glistening with sweat and her chocolate brown eyes were laced with fear and concern for her boyfriend's sister.

Jordan turned her head skywards as if to speak to the sky itself and mumbled something under her breath that Hermione, with her slayer ears, picked up as, "This is complete madness."

Everyone's attention turned towards the two co-captains as they came walking back over to the rest of the grounded Gryffindor team. There was a definite ambience of fury and frustration surrounding the teenage boys.

"He's being banned from Quidditch, well, that's the tentative sentence anyway. He's out of the game and the captain has called in a reserve," Harry addressed exasperatedly.

Ron nodded towards his sister, his hazel eyes serious. "Ginny, you alright to play? Or do you want us to call in a reserve for you too? It's okay if you're too shaken up to play. Harry and I thought it would be better if you sat the rest of the game out, anyway. But it's up to you."

Ginny swallowed in trepidation, but then wiped her fear from her face and replaced in with the trademark expression of Gryffindor fortitude. She drew herself up and a stubborn gleam of defiance flashed in her eyes. "I'm fine. I can play."

"Are you sure?" Aidan asked.

Ginny nodded curtly and pulled away from Dean with her broom in hand. "Dead sure. I'm going to make bloody well certain we win this."

The rest of the team watched her walk onto the pitch in slight admiration of her resilience before following behind her. The screams of support tempered with a small amount of discouraging jeers from the Slytherins rose to epic proportions as the two violently-rival teams stationed themselves in their positions.

The players had not been in the air for more than five minutes before Ginny had scored two goals in blatant defiance of what that Slytherin player had tried to do thus bringing the Gryffindors up twenty points. It was as if her near-death experience had given her a more influential incentive to play harder. She showed no signs of hesitation or fear upon the broomstick. If anything, she seemed more resolute in her desire to win prompting Jordan to say that Slytherins should try to push them off their brooms more often.

Less than fifteen minutes after they had reentered the game, Harry had made a spectacular dive for the Snitch and caught it within a hair's width of smacking into a giant green and silver column. He barely registered the fact that they had won the game until his team tackled him as he dismounted, the Snitch still struggling to free itself from his hand. The commentator shouted out that Gryffindor had won 230 to 60.

Jordan lifted him up effortlessly onto her shoulders and howled in fierce glory over their victory. The rest of the team danced around the two in ecstasy as the Slytherins watched sullenly from a distance.

--------------------

Did anyone notice that I really _really_ want to write a fic in the Anne Rice-verse? If only she would let us.

**Hollow Nightmare:** Well, I've made a tentative decision on the Sirius situation (ha that sounds funny, I just love that dude's name). But since it's tentative I do not want to say anything just yet. And I'm pretty sure that Jordan and Draco will get together, but like I've said before, not until the end or close to it. Glad you like the Fleur/Xander idea.

**Crazy-VampireSlayer: **No, the book never said she was with Bill Weasley. And yeah she does attract a lot of guys, but none can match to my Xander (hehe). I doubt I'll be bringing Anya back. I wouldn't feel right about it. Sirius is iffy because I was never sure he was really dead anyway.

**Silver Warrior: **That's true, but wouldn't Fleur have to be interested in return?

**Naitch03: **Good luck on your writing. It's a lot of fun, but it isn't easy. Interesting thought on Harry/Ginny, but I'm not entirely sure I really like them together. I don't know why. I mean I could always picture Hermione/Ron, but Harry I can never put with someone strictly from the HP-verse.

**Saxifrage: **Haven't I seen you somewhere before lol? No, no Anya coming back from the grave. I might write some other AU stories where she survives sometime in the future.

**matt: **Tell me about it. High school jocks piss me off. There's this one in particular that has an ego bigger than the entire football team that it is somewhat infatuated with me. He reminds me so much of Draco actually and I can totally relate to Jordan in the story in that aspect. Don't know why everyone picks on the nerds and dorks when they probably will just end up working for them lol.

**Vld: **Yeah, you should get a medal for that idea. Yes, I can picture Dawn throttling the shit out of Draco. That would be fun to write. ::Smirks evilly:: I do so love to torture the arrogant ones, just like I do at school.

Thanks also to **mk.**


	29. Chapter Twentynine

Whew. Finally found some time and inspiration between a huge research paper for American Literature to update this. My apologies, but life has this annoying tendency to get in the bloody way all the damn time. Kudos and many thanks to my readers and reviewers. Btw, I'm bringing in a character from the Buffy-verse that happens to be one of my favorites. It doesn't say the name, but I'm sure you clever people can guess who it is. It is _so_ obvious.

--------------------

Sing. That's what their blood did. It sang for her. Pretty little songs that undulated round and round her smooth body until she felt completely encased within their multitude of diverse tunes. She loved to dance in that crimson wrap of melody in complete nudeness under the starry skies.

Their enchanted blood was rare to obtain due to their prior knowledge of beings such as her. Those strange wooden sticks called wands could do so much hurt to the body if one was not careful. But she was quite skilled at the art of seduction and hypnosis. She charmed those wands right out of their delicious little hands before suckling on their necks…or other parts of the body.

Oh how succulent their life-fluids were, almost as succulent as that of a slayer's. She writhed in absolute ecstasy after drinking of their magical blood; her entire body erupted into tingles of delight from the magic coursing through her dead veins. She would have loved to have an endless supply of the magical ones, the witches and wizards with the magical cores, to feed upon. She would have sold her soul for just that had she a soul any longer to sell.

The blood-spattered form wreathed in flowing robes shuddered one last time before life left her body in the arms of the very thing that caused her death. The vampiress released her grip upon the once-living witch and let her corpse collapse to the ground. Upon reversion back to a human face, her dark eyes gleamed almost blood red from the recent feast of magical blood and she swam in the onslaught of pleasure the hunt always filled her with. Her raven hair coiled around her bare, alabaster shoulders atop her red velvet shirt; some strands soaked with blood. A thin stream of blood seeped out of the corner of the vampire's mouth and she swiped a long, slender finger with dark blue-coated nails—extremely long, razor sharp nails—across.

A man stood watching her in mild intrigue from a short distance off. His dark brown hair fell in slight waves to his shoulders, while his dark brown eyes stared out of a handsome, but malevolent face. He was dressed in flowing black and green robes with a few medallions bearing archaic symbols hung round his neck. It was Hastemire, the squib turned dark Wiccan warlock working for Lord Voldemort.

"Now—" the man began.

He was cut off by the upheld finger of the vampire and a loud, "Shhhh! It sings a lullaby for me. Just like Daddy used to." The man rolled his eyes impatiently as the beautiful vampire woman began to sway back and forth; her body oscillating to the tune only she could hear.

Finally, he interrupted her private ceremonial dance and said, "You could have more of them to feast upon, My Lady. In fact, I know where you could find prey even better than slayers and magic-kind."

The vampire stopped dancing and turned her dark, crimson-tinted gaze onto the man. A glint of intrigue formed and she folded her pale arms expectantly, eager to hear his proposition. The man, seeing the creature was now giving him a semblance of full attention plowed forward. "Yes, you would be more than satisfied with the ones I shall bring to you if you do what I ask. You see, these girls are not only witches; they are also slayers…."

--------------------

Dawn rubbed her sore, tired eyes as she put the finishing touches on her two-foot long essay for History of Magic. The one class she had not been able to shoot ahead at an incredible speed had been the one taught by the doddering ghost, Professor Binns. Surprisingly, history of the magical world was not as interesting as she had predicted. In fact, it was more boring than the history of the Muggle world in her opinion. Perhaps it was because of all those damn goblin rebellions. Or maybe it was the fact that it lacked a general mystery to it that was so often seen in Muggle history. Muggles, lacking magic and knowledge of the weird and unexplained in general, had often been unable to explain many things in history completely. Thus they were left free to many, many contradictive theories implicating outrageous explanations. That was the fun of Muggle history.

Another thing Dawn had noticed about wizard-kind no one else seemed to notice was the differences in imagination. Witches and wizards had a subtle sense of imagination, but it was completely dwarfed by the Muggle imagination. She spoke of it to Hermione a few weeks back to which the Gryffindor brainiac had replied, "Why do you think so many of them witches and wizards not born of Muggles read Muggle books, listen to Muggle music, admire Muggle architecture and art? Their own lacks that particular brand of abstract magic, which is rather ironic, don't you think?"

"But wouldn't they think partaking in all those Muggle activities would be…I dunno…degrading?" Dawn had asked.

Hermione had shrugged and answered, "Some would and therefore would never admit to it. But look at Aidan and Mr. Weasley; both are fascinated by Muggles albeit in different aspects. Mr. Weasley loves to collect Muggle knickknacks, mainly technology whereas Aidan loves the art and literature of Muggle culture. Most of the popular wizarding bands are formed by Muggle-borns or half bloods and most of the novelists and artists of the Wizarding World are Muggle-born or half-blooded. Those that aren't have merely…well not copied per se…but have been inspired by Muggle culture, though they would take that fact to their graves.

Secretly, I believe every witch and wizard is fascinated with the Muggle-world and how adaptive and resourceful it is. Muggles rely on logic, skills, and their own resources to survive and the Wizarding World has always relied on its magic. Take the wand away from the witch and you might as well take away her means of living. It isn't something that is talked about much, but many students of magic schools that were expelled committed suicide, in fact over fifty percent of them have done it. Hagrid is part of the smaller percentage, thank Merlin."

Dawn's jaw had dropped at the shocking statistic and it took a few moments for her to completely absorb that fact. "You're kidding!"

Hermione had gravely shaken her head and murmured, "I wish I were, but unfortunately it's true. And it's something only a Muggle-born, a person apart of both worlds, would realize and understand."

Dawn shook her head and weakly intoned, "That's…horrible. I mean, I know of a few cases in the Muggle-world of straight-A students completely snapping over a B grade, but to take their own lives…" she trailed off and Hermione nodded in agreement, her brown eyes large and solemn.

Weeks later, Dawn was still pondering over that serious conversation. Being apart of both worlds did give Dawn, Hermione, Harry, and others unique perspectives on the world around them. But the question gnawing at her since that conversation had been a far more serious one on a personal level and one the young woman could not speak of with her friends. Dawn was not originally human; she was the ancient mystical artifact known as the Key. As such, she did not know precisely where she fit in this world or in the Muggle world. She had buried her misgivings and upsetting doubts for quite a long time with the onslaught of so many personal conflicts outside of herself (i.e. her mother's death, her sister's death and subsequent resurrection, Tara's death, Willow going evil, the First Evil, etc.). Now the question had dragged itself to the forefront of her mind after its two-year hiatus and gave Dawn new troubling notions. Was the reason of her being a witch because she was the Key? When the Key had been transubstantiated into human form had its Wiccan brand magic also been transformed into the other kind of magic? It would make sense considering that Dawn was not merely a part of the Key, but was in fact the Key herself. It only made sense that the power of the Key would come from within her body thereby making her a witch.

Dawn did not know, but her sister often asked herself the same question about being the Slayer. Where did the Slayer end and Buffy begin? Where did the Key end and Dawn begin? If Dawn had been the normal girl that up until three years ago she believed she was, would she still be a witch? It was all far too complicated to answer and Dawn doubted anyone down here carried those answers. So she kept those thoughts to herself and pretended there was nothing troubling her at all.

"Miss Summers?" someone inquired from a few feet away to the young witch's right. Dawn looked up to see her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor standing there with a look of concern on her face. "Are you alright? You looked to have lost yourself in thought from the way you were staring off into space."

"Oh, Professor Pennison, hi. Um…I was just…thinking," she stammered, gesturing to her scroll. "I was just finishing a history essay."

"Ah," the older woman replied in understanding. "My mind often wandered when it came to Binns's class as well. An insufferably dull sod, isn't he?"

For a moment, the way the woman had worded that remark or rather the tone of her voice when she said it was reminiscent of someone, but Dawn couldn't fathom whom. First choice anyone else would have chosen would have been Spike, but that wasn't right, Dawn was sure of it. It was someone else.

"Couldn't have put it any more British…or better," Dawn said, smiling in agreement.

Professor Pennison stood there for a while, her bluish-green eyes—a few shades greener than Buffy's—boring into Dawn's own vibrant sapphire eyes. Her gaze was unreadable to the normally intuitive Slytherin girl and it made Dawn slightly uneasy. Finally, Pennison gave a slight smile and said, "You know, Dawn, I have never seen a student progress so far in so short a time as you. You are most certainly headed towards being a great witch. I wonder what it is that makes you so special…other than being the younger sister of one of the strongest slayers on record."

Dawn's smile fell at the comment intended as a compliment. For just once she wanted to be seen as special for herself, not because she was Buffy Summers, the original and eldest Slayer's, baby sister. Sometimes she wanted to shout to everyone exactly what it was that _made_ her so special and unique; even more unique than a slayer.

Pennison must have seen Dawn's reaction and quickly frowned. "What's wrong?"

Dawn sighed and tried to suppress the rising resentment within her. The poor woman had not meant any offense by her remark and she certainly wasn't the first one to credit Buffy for Dawn's prowess. "Nothing."

Pennison did not seem satisfied by that denial and reiterated her question, "No, please, tell me what's wrong. It obviously must be something I said and I should like to know so I won't make the mistake of saying it again."

Dawn rubbed her temples and finally whispered, "I just don't like it when people always think it's because the Slayer is my sister that I'm so good at…this magic. I kind of want to get out of the shadow I've been living under so long."

"Ah, I see," Pennison said, coming over to sit across from Dawn. "It's hard living in the shadow of heroes then, is it? I wouldn't know. My family is full of anything but."

"Yeah, it is. I love my sister very much and it's not her fault. She can't help it that she's the Slayer, well the strongest one anyway. I mean, she's done so much good for the world and she's saved so many lives, but it is kind of hard to look past all that. It's not that I want to be her, but that I want to be _me_. You know, not Buffy's little sister or the Slayer's little sister, just me. Dawn Christine Summers." Dawn had no idea why she was suddenly unloading her personal feelings to a woman she barely knew, but it felt good to get it off her chest. It was probably better she told this woman anyway because she would be more than likely to take an impartial view towards the whole ordeal.

Pennison nodded and swiped a lock of dark hair out of her eyes. This girl's confession unlocked the painful memories of living in the shadow of someone far more sinister than the golden-haired Slayer. It scraped the wounds on her heart left over from the bloody, violent expectations she had been forced to live up to and the terrible feud that had ensued between she and her father. _Fat lot of good my rebellion did me. It nearly got me killed._ Soon she would have to reveal her true roots as Senna Malfoy, daughter of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, elder sister to Draco Malfoy and once-heiress to a tyrannical family of pure, unbroken lineage. A scion of a family of Death Eaters; a family of witches and wizards steeped in the darkest of magical arts. _A family of murderers and angels of death. A family of lapdogs to the dark lord. That is all they are…and ever will be unless I do something about it._ But she was still at a loss in that aspect. The only person in her family she was interested in saving from darkness was her precious baby brother, Draco. The rest could rot in hell for all she gave a bloody damn.

"I probably sound like some spoiled, attention-starved brat to you." Dawn's voice shook the woman from her reverie.

"Oh no! Not at all! I completely understand how you feel and were I in your position I would probably feel the same way," Senna promptly told her.

Dawn smiled appreciatively and felt a sensation of relief settling over her. Her professor smiled encouragingly at her and squeezed her hand. "Just tell everyone how you feel. Stand up for yourself, cuz in the end, you might be the only thing you have."

With that being said, the woman arose from her seat and bid Dawn farewell leaving the girl to ponder over what she had said. After a while, Dawn gathered up her things as well to leave, but was startled by the arms that swooped around her. She screeched and laughed at the same time when she realized it was her boyfriend.

"Harry! You jerk! Don't do that!" she exclaimed in mock anger.

Harry grinned cheekily and said, "Gee, you would think someone who lived on a hellmouth would be prepared at all times."

"Shut up," Dawn retorted, sticking her tongue out. She felt her burdening thoughts from before magically dissipate for the time being. Harry had that kind of effect on her. "How did you know where to find me?"

Harry took on a sarcastic, omnipotent expression and said, "Oh Dawn, I always know where you are." Sheepishly, he added, "And I also asked Hermione and then Jordan and they said you might be here just to…confirm what I already knew."

"Sure," Dawn replied, giggling slightly as he leaned in to kiss her. "Have a nice Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore?" she asked after the two pulled away.

Harry shrugged. "It was okay. I'm really glad I've been learning all these meditation techniques; it helps me out a lot. And don't tell Jordan or Hermione I said this, but I'm really glad they talked me into doing yoga."

Dawn laughed at that remark remembering how adamant Harry had been that he was only doing yoga so Hermione and Jordan would leave him alone. The two of them had not been fooled one bit because he knew and they knew it was not that big of a deal so they would have left him alone had he refused.

Harry took Dawn's books from her arms and proceeded to carry them for her as any chivalric boyfriend would and Dawn linked an arm around his. They prepared to walk out of the library when a muffled sound caused both teens to pause in their steps. Both immediately looked at each other before Dawn voiced aloud what both were asking, "Did you hear something?"

Harry swallowed hard and tried to put on a casual air, "It's probably just Peeves skulking around. Bloody poltergeist."

Dawn did not seem to accept that explanation, so she walked towards where she heard the sound. She rounded a tall bookcase and stopped short at the scene letting a gasp of surprise. Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth hung open in an O shape. Harry came running to her side saying, "What is it, Dawn?"

Standing there, just as surprised at Harry and Dawn, were the previously preoccupied forms of Dean Thomas and some handsome blonde boy neither Harry nor Dawn knew by name. That he was a seventh-year Ravenclaw was the only piece of information they knew of about him. When Dawn had happened upon them, they had been thoroughly enthralled in an intense make-out session only to instantly jump away at Dawn's appearance.

"Whoa! Dean…what…how…" Dawn stuttered. She would know exactly what to say had it been a girl he had been kissing, but a boy…she was clueless. At least she had been able to get out words, her boyfriend was currently still frozen in shock.

"Harry! Dawn! I…erm…let me explain," Dean began anxiously; beads of sweat rolling down his forehead as evidence of his distress.

Harry blinked a couple of times and croaked out the words, "When did this happen?"

The other boy squeezed Dean's shoulder supportively and said, "We're not exactly sure. We didn't mean for it to go this far…yet."

"What about Ginny? Does she know?" Dawn asked, regaining her calm composure.

Dean and the boy hesitated to answer, which gave the answer to Harry and Dawn louder than any spoken confession could have. Before either of the two boys could answer, Harry exploded in fury. "How could you do this to her, Dean?! She has a right to know!"

"I know she does! And I've been trying to think of a way to tell her, but it's a lot easier said than done, Harry. I love her, I really do. Just not in _that_ way," the miserable boy replied.

Dawn laid a calming hand on Harry's shoulder to soothe the beast just waiting to bust out. She understood Harry's anger over Dean's deception of Ginny. Ginny was the closest thing Harry had to a baby sister and she was a good friend of his not to mention she was the sister of his best mate. He would never want to see her get hurt. But she also understood Dean's own inner turmoil and indecision. She had seen Willow suffer through the same thing when Oz had returned out of the blue just as she was realizing her deep love for Tara. She really had to sympathize with the boy.

Dawn rubbed her temple and looked to the forlorn pair in front of her. She sighed and walked up to the two, putting a hand on each of their shoulders and looking them both in the eyes. "Listen, Dean, and what is your name?"

"Louis Marrison," the boy replied.

"Okay, Louis, Dean, I'm not going to tell Ginny and neither is Harry. Right Harry?" Dawn turned her head to eye her boyfriend sternly. Harry was still reeling from the fact that his roommate was gay and had not yet told Ginny about it. He flinched under Dawn's heated gaze, but nodded faintly.

Dean and Louis's shoulders relaxed considerably. Dawn shook her head, not about to let them off the hook. "But, she does have to know sooner or later. It isn't our place to tell her, it's yours, Dean. You owe her that much."

Dean looked away from Dawn's piercing blue eyes and nodded solemnly. "I know. I swear, I'll tell her soon. I just…need some time."

"That's all I ask," Dawn said, squeezing his shoulder in encouragement. "But don't take too long because she'll figure it out eventually. She's a smart girl."

Dean nodded his head in morose agreement and murmured, "Ron is going to murder me."

Dawn grimaced and thought about that remark. She then shook her head again and said, "If it were a girl, yeah, he would kill you. But in this case, I think he'll be too wigged out by it. I don't think he would understand."

"What will everyone think? I'll be a bloody pariah after the rest find out. It's not like you can keep anything secret for long in our house, especially with Parvati and Lavender living there," Dean moaned, pulling away from Louis and Dawn to lean against the bookcase.

Dawn sighed and held her hands out in a gesture of helplessness. "I don't know, Dean. I don't know what to tell you or any other advice I can give you. All I can say is, do what's best for you and Ginny."

Dean didn't respond, but continued to stare down at his feet in a melancholy silence. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and Dawn decided that was her cue to leave. There was really nothing more she could do.

"Well, I gotta be heading back to Slytherin dorms. I'll see you both later. It was nice to have met you, Louis, despite the circumstances." She held out her hand and Louis shook it amiably with an appreciative smile.

"Thanks," Louis said.

Dawn didn't know what to say to that, so she merely nodded and went over to Harry. "Come on, Harry. Let's get out of here." She tugged on her boyfriend's arm and led the near-catatonic boy away from the scene and out of the library. _Guess it'll take a while for him to absorb it._

Instead of Harry walking Dawn to the Slytherin dorms, she walked him back to his own dormitory. She began to grow concerned at the complete lack of conversation between the two. Harry was being stubbornly quiet. She knew that finding out a boy you had known for six years and shared the same dorm with was gay must have been extremely hard to deal with, but he could at least say that.

"Harry, are you okay?" she asked after the silence became positively unbearable.

Harry took a while to answer. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." His tone of voice couldn't have been more contradictive to those words.

"Liar. This is all hard to take in, I know. Just admit you're not fine with it," Dawn said.

"Alright, I'm not exactly vomiting up sunshine over it. I want to be supportive and all that like you were, but I just can't. I can't stand it that Ginny doesn't know and I think we should tell her. Merlin knows that ponce will take forever if he ever does tell her," Harry confessed, letting anger seep back into his voice.

Dawn exhaled in slight disappointment at those words, but she couldn't be angry with Harry for his feelings. He couldn't help feeling that way any more than Dean could help being gay. "Harry, it's not for us to tell her or anyone else for that matter. It's Dean's job. It's not even our business. We just have to let them work it out on their own. Our intervening could end up causing more problems than solving. And please don't hate Dean for this or shun him because he needs friends now more than ever. I'm not saying we should condone Dean's actions, but we need to take the circumstances into consideration."

Harry looked into his girlfriend's pleading eyes and nodded. With great effort he whispered, "I'll try; for you and for Ginny. I'm not so sure for Dean."

Dawn smiled, hugged him, and pressed her lips against his own. "Thank you. And I suppose that's fair enough."

She kissed him again and then left him standing there at the portrait of the Fat Lady patiently awaiting the boy's utterance of the password. Harry stood there in a trance-like state having been buried under the deluge of revelations and troubling thoughts before he changed his mind about going into the common room. He didn't think he could face Ginny or her brother knowing what he knew now just yet. He walked back down the drafty corridor, shivering slightly at the early December air. Not for the first time since his godfather had died, he wished Sirius were here to guide him. It was near to Christmastime and he was missing his psuedo-father more than ever.

After an hour of mindless wandering around the corridors, Harry finally let his exhaustion and shivering from the drafty early December air convince him to head back to the Gryffindor dormitory. He entered the darkened common room feeling the warmth wrap around him. The fire in the fireplace was reduced to a small, crackling flame and shed a scant amount of light. He tiptoed past the sprawled form of Jordan asleep in her day clothes and buried under schoolbooks on the couch. He climbed up to the boys' dormitory careful not to awaken his sleeping roommates. After changing quickly into his pajamas he crawled under his covers and pulled the curtains on his bed shut.

In spite of the fact that his head was full to capacity with thousands of thoughts, he fell into a peaceful slumber quickly. He dreamt of Sirius being alive and playing wizard's chess with him. Only the pieces were replaced with girls…lots of bloodied girls holding stakes. His godfather looked up at him and intoned sadly, "They can't all be saved. Some will have to be sacrificed."

Harry merely hung his head and wept. When he awoke the next morning, he remembered nothing of what he had dreamed.

--------------------

**Saxifrage: **I only meant I've seen your reviews on my other story lol. Sorry, but I've already planned for Xander and Fleur and I can't bring Anya back now. Hope it doesn't ruin it for you.   
**Silver Warrior: **I never said I was against the pairing of Harry and Ginny. It just doesn't work for me to write it and I just can't see them together personally. Dawn is going to be a bit more devious about getting Slytherins back than coming up and kicking their asses. After all, she is a Slytherin as well.   
**matt: **Oh that would be hilarious. I can just imagine what kind of advice Snape would give that boy. Glad you liked the Ginny tidbit and Jordan's bitchiness. She is a girl after all. We get very bitchy sometimes lol. And you poor guys must bear the brunt of it a lot of the times. My poor father and younger brother know all too well from having to live with three girls.   
**Wanderingsoul24: **Wow, all we got was lots of rain. Hope everything is okay now and I hope your dad is okay. It must really suck. My older half-brother's dad lives in Florida and he lost his cable and phone, so he got satellite and a cell phone.   
**Vld: **Well, Dawn throttling Draco is a very possible thing, but I always thought Dawn carried more control than Buffy in that aspect. She can think of far more sly ways to give those Slytherins what's coming to them, but an ass kicking is never out of the picture.   
**Yumi Wisakantu: **I had an answer about Hermione's reaction and I think it was somewhere along the lines of Hermione already having to deal with her being a slayer and all that had happened that she tried to sort through it all before hearing of Harry's part in the prophecy. That prolly makes no sense, but I forgot what my actual answer to that was.   
**Chrios: **Yes, I do like the Tonks/Willow pairing and I will probably subtly insert that near the end.   
**Teigra Wolfe: **Well, luckily for Willow, she can handle herself. Which is good, cuz I'm gonna put her through a lot in this story.   
**Halric the Harmless: **Oh really? Well, I'm glad my story veered off then. Believe me, I'm not that good. It takes me forever to shape my amorphous ideas on paper…or erm screen. But I'm glad you like the twins and my story.   I wish you good luck with your writing.   
**Naitch03: **Yeah, sorry about the gaps between updating. But spyware was invented and it got to my computer among other factors. I had to rewrite this chapter entirely. Pleased to see you liked Ginny's Slytherin ass kicking.   
Thanks also to **Dragon Doll.**


	30. Chapter Thirty

It took me forever to finish this chapter. I warn you, a lot of things occur so you'll need to bear with me. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday and I wish all my readers a Happy Holidays or a Happy ChristmaHannuKwanzaakah! And I have just heard that July 16, 2005 is the official release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! Those that did not already know this and are dying to have that book come out may now take the time to jump up and down with uncontained glee. Sure, we have to wait seven months, but I seriously thought I was going to have to wait until I graduated to read the sixth book. Anyway, I've already started typing up the next chapter and since I'm on a lovely week and a half long break from school, I hope to have it in at least _by_ New Year's, if not before. Major thanks and extra special holiday wishes to all my lovely reviewers. Responses are posted at the end of the chapter, as usual. Enjoy!

* * *

Christmastime happened upon Buffy almost unexpectedly. One minute, she was trying to figure out what to do with the thousand odd girls who now had super powers and the next she was trying to figure out what Christmas (or Hanukkah in Willow's case) gifts to buy for her myriad of family and friends. She no longer considered Xander, Willow, Giles, Spike, Angel, and even Faith as just friends—they were her family. The problems with Voldemort, Willow's arcane stalker, and her own inhibitions with her stance as leader of all slayers in the world were temporarily suspended under the contagious cheer the holidays always seemed to evoke. 

_Somehow, shopping during Christmas in California is a lot different than shopping during Christmas in London_, she joked lamely to herself as she tightened her scarf. Like her sister, she had not really gotten used to the colder climate of Britain with her Californian genes. It had only snowed once in Sunnydale during the seven years she had lived there and she had her suspicions that incident hadn't been all that…natural.

Buffy heard someone call her name and looked over her shoulder to see Wesley and Fred waving her over. She crossed the street with an amused grin on her face over poor Wesley being dragged down by the weight of so many packages. Fred only had a few tucked into her arms and she seemed to be cursing the cold weather as much as Buffy was. _Us southern gals._

"Need a hand, Wes?" Buffy ventured, her blue-green eyes sparkling with mirth.

Wesley shook his head and replied in a strained voice, "No, I'm quite all right, Buffy. Ahh!" One of the bags slipped from his weak grasp upon it, but Buffy managed to catch it before it spilled all over the sidewalk.

"Wow, nice save, Buffy," Fred remarked admiringly.

Buffy shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Slayer reflexes, I always knew they were good for something. Saving all those defenseless Christmas presents." Without even asking, she took some of Wesley's load from him. Wesley did not resist, only too happy not to be rendered a walking disaster.

"Wesley and I were going to go ahead and wait for the others to meet us at the restaurant. Do you wanna come? You look like you could get out of the cold too," Fred offered. She then frowned and said, "Is that all you've bought yet?"

"Huh?" Buffy was confused for a moment until she realized Fred had noticed her particular lack of bags, hers and Wesley's notwithstanding, save for one small black bag. "Oh, Jordan lent me this nifty shopping bag of hers. I call it my Mary Poppins Christmas Sack, well, until I get one of my own." She opened the bag to show a bunch of other bags stowed comfortably inside.

"That _is_ nifty," Fred agreed, her hazel eyes alight with delight.

"Oh, look. I daresay Willow has decided to get there early too," Wesley interjected, pointing to the restaurant they were to meet in. They saw the familiar redhead with a few shopping bags swinging on her arm heading towards their meeting place. Also with her were two other people, one they recognized as Tonks and an older man they did not know.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm kinda itching to drink something hot," Buffy said, starting towards the restaurant. Fred and Wesley quickly followed her through the ankle-deep snow.

They stepped into the quaint little restaurant and voiced their relief at the warmth that engulfed them. They searched the crowd for the familiar redhead and her two companions and spotted her at a table in the far right corner. The three hustled over there and dumped their items on the floor beside their chairs.

"Hey guys," Willow greeted, pausing in her conversation with Tonks.

"Hey, Will. And Tonks…didn't expect to see you here," Buffy replied.

"Ah, well, I was out and about shopping with my father here. This is Chester Tonks, my father. Dad, meet Buffy Summers…I've already told you about her. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce is the gentleman over there; he's a watcher," Tonks pointed out to the elder man beside her. She then grimaced apologetically at Fred and said, "And, erm, I'm sorry…I've forgotten what your name is."

"I'm Winifred Burkle, but you can call me Fred," Fred said cheerfully, holding out her hand to shake the hand of Tonks's father.

"It's lovely to meet you, Miss Burkle and Mr. Wyndam-Pryce. And Miss Summers! It is such an honor to finally meet the brave young woman my daughter speaks of so highly!" As the man stood to shake Buffy's hand across the table, he knocked over his own glass of water and Tonks's. "Ooops! Terribly sorry; I'm afraid I'm a bit clumsy."

"Well, Tonks had to get it from somewhere," Willow quipped with a wry grin towards the small, pixie-faced Auror.

Tonks punched her lightly in the arm, but she couldn't help but to giggle slightly at the comment, which was undoubtedly true. Buffy, Wesley, and Fred exchanged knowing glances at the obvious flirtatious ambiance surrounding the two women. Buffy hoped something would spark between Tonks and Willow because, in her mind, the easy-going Auror would be the perfect person to help Willow forget Kennedy and head back on the dating track. It looks like she just might have gotten her wish.

"Where's Xander?" Willow asked.

Buffy shrugged and said, "We are here a tad early so I guess he won't show until about five to ten minutes late. I just wish he would have brought that mystery girlfriend with him."

"I thought he said there was nothing romantic between them," Wesley said in confusion.

Willow and Buffy both snorted and rolled their eyes. Willow shook her head and said, "He says that, but every time he talks about her I swear his eyes get all dreamy and love-struck."

"Oh yeah, that boy is totally smitten," Buffy muttered as a waiter walked up to their table.

"Can I get you anything?" the young man asked amiably.

"Um, for now I'll just have a cup of coffee," Buffy requested. She grinned apologetically and added, "I haven't totally warmed up to tea yet. Giles would be so disappointed; all this time I've spent over here and I'm still drinking coffee."

"Two cups of tea for the two of us," Wesley told him, referring to himself and his girlfriend. The waiter jotted it all down on his pad of paper and went off to bring their drinks.

"Mr. Tonks is coming to the Christmas party at Jordan and Aidan's house this weekend," Willow told Buffy, Fred, and Wesley.

"Who isn't coming? I swear that girl must have invited half of Hogwarts including all the slayers there and a few abroad. It's a good thing their place is huge," Buffy said.

"Ah, my wife wanted me to come along. I am quite glad there will be a lot of non-magic folk there so I won't feel so out of place. This should be quite a treat though, eh? I haven't been to many magical holiday parties in a long time. Not since Dora was a little girl," Mr. Tonks said jovially.

Buffy quirked an eyebrow and said in amusement, "Dora?"

"It's better than my real name," Tonks explained. "My mum thought the name 'Nymphadora' was so sweet and magical sounding." The woman shook her head despairingly while her father just laughed.

"It could be worse. He could call you 'Nymphy'," Fred joked.

Everyone missed the suggestive gleam in Willow's dark green eyes sparked by that seemingly harmless remark.

* * *

Maybe she was just going crazy or some cosmic force in this damnable castle was making the corridors go the wrong way. Jordan cursed in frustration as she again made a wrong turn to the dormitories and stomped her foot. What the hell was wrong with her? These were her dorms that she was trying to get to and she always knew the way from practically every angle. While her sense of direction was not without error, she should have found the portrait of the Fat Lady by now. 

"Fine. Be that way. I'll just sleep here," she declared stubbornly, while sliding down to the floor. The pounding in her head, present since morning, had subsided just slightly. She had been fighting an inner immunity battle with the flu and it seemed she was losing. Her head felt like there was a hammer pounding away at it, she was dizzy and lightheaded, her skin was cold and clammy, and she was freezing. That was a surefire sign that she was getting sick because Jordan usually handled cold very well.

The dizziness in her head persisted even when she sat down and put her head between her knees to try and abate it. All she could think about was the alluring warmth and comfort of her own bed nestled within the cozy sanctuary of the girls' dormitories. She was so engrossed in trying to mentally force her dizzying headache away by thinking of her bed that she failed to detect the sound of footsteps coming towards her.

Draco Malfoy frowned in puzzlement and concern when he saw the Gryffindor slayer-witch sitting upon the cold, stone ground of the Hogwarts corridors with her head bent low upon her knees. Although he would like to make himself think he didn't care and pass her by without a second glance, he couldn't help but be curious and a little concerned. What did she think she was doing?

"What are you doing?" he asked in curious amusement.

Jordan sighed in annoyance at the familiar voice and slowly lifted her head up. "Trying to talk to the tiny invisible people on the floor. What are you doing?" she snapped.

Draco bit back his retort when he noticed the sweaty pallor of her fair skin, her trembling form, and the haziness of her honey eyes. She did not look very well to him at all, though he was no medi-wizard. He slowly approached her and kneeled down to her level and Jordan, surprisingly, did not try and stop him. He tried to shut out the pleasant scent he couldn't name emanating off of her, which sent his hormones into overdrive. Why was he so bloody attracted to this girl?

"Jordan, you don't look very well," he pointed out, hoping she wouldn't slug him or anything. "Why are you sitting here? Shouldn't you be in your dormitory?"

Either the fever was making her hallucinate or Jordan was actually hearing Draco voice subtle concern for her. She looked at him suspiciously, but failed to find any clues on his face for an ulterior motive. If eyes were the windows to the soul, then she must have been soul-blind. It would be nice if everyone were an open-book like Ron was. She averted her gaze sheepishly when he noticed her studying him and instead tried to form an answer to his question. Yes, she should be up in her bed in the Gryffindor girls' dormitory and she would love nothing more than to do just that. Only she would have to find them first. She didn't want to admit her obvious state of being lost to the Slytherin boy because it would be far too embarrassing.

"Um, I'll get to the dorms. When my head stops spinning, I will get up and be on my way," she finally said, hoping he couldn't tell she was bluffing.

Draco sighed and held out his hand. What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he helping her? He was Draco Malfoy for Merlin's sake, a decorated member in the ranks of the House of Slytherin! He should not stoop so low to help out a Gryffindor girl whether she was of prestigious background or not. Yet, his hand acted without his consent and stretched out to offer the sickly-looking girl up. Besides, it felt wrong to leave her here, sick as she was, out in the cold.

Jordan raised an eyebrow at his proffered hand. Draco groaned in impatience and said, "Come on. I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey."

"Oh, no, that's really not necessary. She's not allowed to give us slayers too many potions anyway unless it's absolutely necessary. Something about our immune systems or whatnot, I really don't recall. I'll just go to my dorms. Besides, we're all going home for Christmas vacation tomorrow anyway. No sense in spending the night in the hospital wing," Jordan told him nervously.

"Fine, I'll lead you back to your dormitory then. If you're as dizzy as you look, then it isn't smart to go traipsing around here; you could fall," Draco persisted, taking her hand without even a by-your-leave.

Jordan's eyes lit up. _Hot damn! He knows the way back. Yay for me!_ She let him haul her to her feet and lead her carefully by the arm towards her dormitory. He held on tight enough to be aware of if she were going to suddenly pass out on him to give him ample time to stave off a fall, but his hold was loose enough that it did not give her any misguided notions of his intentions. How he knew the way to the Gryffindor dorms, she didn't know nor did she care particularly at the moment. Perhaps it was because he was a Prefect or perhaps not…what did it matter right now? In fact, she was starting to like the feel of his hand on her arm…._stop it, Jordan! No time or place for naughty thoughts._

As they ascended the steps up to the beacon-like portrait of the Fat Lady who was all decked out in Christmas decorum Jordan suddenly remembered that she didn't know the password. Like she forgot her way to the dorms, she had forgotten the password to get in.

"Shit!" she blurted out aloud without meaning to.

Draco started at her profane outburst and stared at her in perplexity. "What?"

Jordan would have smacked herself in the forehead were her head not already feeling like it was going to crack in two. "I forgot the damn password. This is just great! We came all this way for nothing, unless you happen to know the password for some obscure reason."

Draco shook his head apologetically while saying, "Sorry."

The problem of the forgotten password was solved when the portrait swung open and the tall form of Jordan's twin stepped out with an anxious expression on his face. Aidan instantly sighed in relief when he saw his sister, but then he frowned when he noticed whom she was with and that that certain someone was holding onto her arm.

"Jordan, where the hell have you been? You know you're not supposed to be out and walking about with that flu. You shouldn't have even gone to classes today," Aidan chided in a very cross tone.

Jordan wrinkled her nose in indignation at her brother's treatment of her as if she were some errant child. Just who did he think he was? Their father? Did he forget just who spent three and half more minutes in this world? "Excuse me, _Dad_. I do believe I'm old enough to take care of myself. And as you can see, I was on my way back. I just needed a little help."

Aidan regretted his fractious attitude towards his sister, but he was only acting out in relief that she was okay. His features softened when he noticed how ashen and exhausted she looked and he stepped forward to take her from Draco's care. "Sorry, I was just a bit worried about you. Come on, I'll help you inside."

Jordan shook off his grasp and shot him a scathing glower. "I'm fine now. I don't need your help," she snapped brusquely, pushing past him and inside the portrait, slamming it shut behind her.

The Fat Lady shrieked as she banged heavily against the wall and said, "Well, someone's in a rather tetchy mood."

Aidan groaned and ran a hand through his auburn hair. It was official, he was turning into his father as his mother always warned him he would. After a moment of silent self-chastisement, he turned his sharp gaze onto his sister's escort.

"Well, I guess I'm not needed any longer," the Slytherin boy remarked, his silver-blue eyes still trained on where Jordan had left them.

Aidan was not about to let this arrogant bastard off the hook. He had let his reservations about the Slytherin prince go on inside his head in silence for far too long. He grabbed Draco by the shoulder and forced the shorter, platinum-haired boy to face him and see the hard look on his face.

"What are you playing at, Firewell?" Draco said, slapping Aidan's hand away.

"Funny, you call me and just about everyone else in Gryffindor by their last names, but yet you tend to address my twin sister by her first name," Aidan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and derision.

Draco's eyes flashed dangerously, but he forced his face to remain neutral as well as his voice as he replied, "So?"

Aidan glared at him and flexed his muscles. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing. Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at my sister. I notice it when every guy looks at her that way."

Draco's mouth curled up into a malicious smile. "Oh, you do, do you? What, think she can't handle herself or something, big brother? She's a bloody vampire slayer, for Merlin's sake! And you also have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh please, I know exactly what I'm talking about and you do too. Normally, I wouldn't do anything about boys staring at my sister in that way because it can't be helped, I admit that. She is, after all, an attractive girl. And I know she can handle herself, which is why I don't do the whole 'protective big brother' act often. But then again, all the rest of the guys haven't been ass-kissers of Voldemort." Aidan's voice, normally so good-natured and light, had adopted a hard, merciless attitude, succeeding in making Draco a bit nervous. But Draco was well trained in the art of masking emotions and he performed spectacularly in concealing his emotions under a mask of impassiveness. The tone of his voice, however, betrayed exactly what he was feeling.

Draco's voice was cold and deadly as he said, "You better watch what you're saying, Yank."

Aidan fought the urge to punch the son of a bitch right in that sharp, pale nose of his. "I know what you are, Malfoy and I know what your family is. I bet your incarcerated father and the rest of your Death Eater family would just love you to hand one of the daughters of a powerful dark wizard-catching family up to the dark lord. Be a nice trophy, wouldn't she? Boost the Malfoy name up a bit more in the eyes of Snake-Face? Not as good as Harry Potter, but nicer to look at. I mean, your family is already responsible for the death of one Firewell…. hell, why not add another to the quota?"

Now Draco was a tad confused. His family was responsible for the death of a Firewell Auror? "What are you talking about?"

"What? Daddy never bragged to you about killing my grandfather? I even heard your sister got to stand there and watch…as young as she was at the time. Of course, your father was acquitted of all charges, but everyone knows he's guilty. Almost pinned it all on Snape," Aidan spat in mingled anger, resentment, and disgust.

Draco could not suppress the expression of stark shock on his face and Aidan was taken aback by it. He had expected the boy to know of these things, but it was apparent that he hadn't. Instead, he heard the small weak whisper of a voice intoning, "He…forced Senna to watch? Oh my god."

Draco knew well how many different methods his father would employ to torture and subsequently murder a person though he never witnessed them and was quite glad he never attained the privilege to. But he had heard enough of those particular exploits to know how brutal and gruesome those acts tended to be. The fact that his father had had Senna, a mere child younger than the first years of Hogwarts at the time of Christopher Firewell's death, witness such a grotesque proceeding was…. horrific. It served to fan the fires of Draco's intense hatred of his father even more. And it made him mourn over his sister even more. You do not include children in such macabre acts; even Draco understood that. It seemed his father had not.

Aidan was bewildered at the looks of horror, disgust, and painful grief upon Draco's face. Could it be possible this boy was not the Death Eater to be as Aidan had previously believed? He then dismissed the idle thought and carried on with his warning. "Malfoy, I'm going to warn you once. Stay away from Jordan. I will not hesitate to beat the shit out of you if you ever hurt her or make one threatening move towards her. And if she gets hurt _because_ of you…I'll kill you. I swear on my grandfather's grave I will."

It took those foreboding words to shake Draco from a painful reverie and into defensive mode. "Firewell, get over yourself. Jordan's a big girl; she can make decisions for herself, if there were any to be made in this aspect. Which, contrary to what you believe, there isn't. You don't have to worry about your precious twin; I'm no danger to her."

Aidan huffed and turned back towards the portrait of the Fat Lady who was watching them both warily.

Draco heard the boy say in a threatening and final voice, "You better not be."

* * *

Xander picked lint off of his dark red sweater while standing in front of the mirror and inspecting himself before he flooed to the party at the Firewell manor. His black hair was styled with a wizarding type styling gel he had picked up at Diagon Alley and he was even wearing a wizarding type cologne that changed its scent periodically. 

He sighed when he saw the slight bulge of his stomach and despaired over the many different entrées he was going to stuff himself with in about thirty minutes. _Stupid wizards and their damn good cooking skills. Where the hell is that good metabolism my uncle promised me?_ His depressed expression was alleviated immediately by the voice of his "not-girlfriend", Fleur Delacour, as she knocked on his door. She must have just made it by apparition to the modest dwelling in Bath he had acquired for himself and Willow with no small amount of help from the insurmountable Council assets. They were only a few miles away from Giles's flat where Buffy and Dawn were staying for the holidays and probably during the summer.

"Oh, come in, Fleur. I'm dressed," he assured the French witch.

He heard the creek of his bedroom door and the barely perceived taps of Fleur's dainty feet on the carpet. He turned to greet her, but stopped short at the sight of the beautiful young woman. If he had thought her beautiful before, it was beyond that now. His breath caught in his throat and his pulse pounded his veins as it sped up without warning. The part-Veela witch was elegantly swathed in a crimson red dress, the ends of which brushed lightly against her knees, exposing her smooth, pale and faintly glowing calves. Her feet were painfully encased within the seemingly tight straps of black high-heeled shoes that only women seemed to be able to traverse grounds in without breaking their ankles. A matching red scarf with ends that hung off each crook of her elbow covered her shoulders.

Fleur's golden hair was pulled back with sparkling barrettes and golden strands hung down to frame her lovely face. Her face was subtly touched up with make up that enhanced her already impressive and radiant beauty. She grinned at Xander's slack-jawed gawking.

"I take it you like my outfit. I got the idea from a Muggle catalogue and I had a Muggle-born friend of mine help me put it on," she explained.

Xander's vocal cords must have been paralyzed temporarily because he was not able to form intelligible words at the moment. He just stood there babbling quietly for a bit before getting hold of himself. "You…you did this for me?"

"Merry Christmas," she said happily. "Of course, I did get you a more suitable present, but I thought you might like this."

Xander nodded, his brown eyes still as large as saucers. "Oh yes, Xander like. Xander like very much."

He really hoped she was open to the idea of bumping their relationship up from its current friendship status to a more intimate level. He thought about her more and more everyday and could think of nothing better than taking the next step with her, that is, if she were willing to take the step with him. He heard her talk about Bill Weasley, one of Ron's many elder brothers, from her work often, but he got the impression she was only friends with him or she only meant to be friends with him. Bill was probably of the same mind as Xander in this aspect, but the Scooby member hoped he would be the one to win Fleur's affections.

"We match," he heard Fleur say. At first he was confused at that remark, but then he remembered he was wearing a red sweater nearly the same shade as her dress. What a coincidence. _Maybe it's a sign,_ he mused sardonically.

"Well, since we're ready, I guess we can head to the party," Xander suggested casually.

"I'm so glad to finally be meeting your friends. And I can't wait to see Harry again. He's such a sweet boy," Fleur said, following Xander out the door. He paused before throwing some floo powder on the crackling fireplace and looked at the young woman with him.

"Are you sure you wanna floo? I mean, you might mess up your outfit," he warned.

Fleur looked down at her outfit and furrowed her brow in realization. "Oh, I guess we could portkey there. Here, let me charm one."

She took the empty bowl on the counter top and pointed her wand out it while intoning, "_Portus_." She then took Xander's hand and they both held onto the bowl until it was activated and they were sent to the Firewell manor in Katsmorn, Montana.

The pair arrived right in the middle of the large foyer amidst the myriad of house elves being directed by Springer. The small creatures were carrying an assortment of party accoutrements including appetizers, which Xander was only too happy to accept.

"Welcome sir and miss. Springer is happy to be at your service!" the Firewells' house elf squeaked.

"Cool, um, we'll just make our way to wherever everyone else is. Where are they?" Xander asked.

"Comes this way, I will shows you," Springer told them, beckoning to the young man and woman.

They followed the house elf into the living room where a crowd of people Xander did not recognize was gathered together. He saw Willow sitting on the couch talking with Tonks—_big surprise there_, Xander thought to himself sarcastically. Buffy, Faith, and Giles were talking amongst themselves by the fireplace and Dawn was nowhere to be seen at the moment, but he figured wherever Harry was Dawn wouldn't be too far off.

As soon as Buffy noticed that Xander had arrived, she tapped her two companions on the shoulder to alert them. The long-awaited time had come for them to finally lay eyes upon this mystery girl. When Buffy _did_ lay her eyes on this mystery girl her jaw dropped and she barely realized she was not the only one gawking slightly at the young woman.

"Holy shit. Is that Xander's girlfriend? I might just have to change my ways," Faith quipped as she too looked upon her friend's date.

"She is a …lovely girl, isn't she?" Giles commented absently, adjusting his glasses to get a better look.

"Lovely? Kirsten Dunst is lovely; this girl makes the rest of us look like hags," Buffy said.

"B, I don't think she's all human. You feel the vibe coming off of her?" Faith pointed out in concern.

Buffy slowly nodded her head to show that she did indeed feel the strange, subtle sensation this girl gave the small, blonde slayer. She glided forward towards Xander as he and the girl were coming to meet them, they met halfway and Xander's face split into a wide grin.

"Hey, Buff! Faith, Giles, this is Fleur Delacour. She's from France," he introduced Fleur, who smiled shyly at the three people who were staring intently at her.

The young woman swallowed her trepidation and held out her hand in goodwill to the petite blonde woman who was looking at her with shrewd blue-green eyes. "I have been very anxious to meet you, Buffy. I heard so much of you from Xander in his letters and from the papers. I know you probably get this a lot, but thank you for coming to help the Wizarding World out. We really need you and your slayers."

Buffy realized she had been making the girl very uncomfortable with her staring so she plastered on a smile and shook her hand. While she didn't feel inherently evil and there seemed to be no ill intent in those fathomless azure eyes, Buffy was still wary of her. Maybe she was just being a little over-protective of Xander, but she could not shake the feeling of something being a little strange about Fleur. As Fleur greeted Giles and Faith, Buffy took the time to study the woman and the way men seemed to goggle at her from all angles. She had the type of body all women strive to attain but never could seem to keep. And the weird thing was, she wasn't as gaunt or skinny as super models tended to be. She actually had a body to be proud of that didn't seem like one had to starve herself to look that way. Her hair was a finer gold than Buffy's was and was longer and fuller. Yep. This slayer sure felt inadequate standing next to her.

Buffy was startled at the sound of Harry's voice saying, "Fleur?" in recognition. Both she and her sister slayer watched the dark-haired boy, surprise evident in his emerald eyes, walk over to where they stood in the middle of the living room. Dawn, Ron, and Hermione trailed after him and she noticed that Harry's two best friends recognized the girl as well.

"Harry! Surprised?" Fleur greeted them. "Hello, Ron. Hello, Hermione. Bill tells me you two are more than just friends now."

Ron and Hermione both blushed at Fleur's foreknowledge of their relationship, but smiled at her beaming face. Hermione noticed Ron was doing a lot better at keeping his eyes off of the elder, prettier witch although they did stray from time to time. Dawn seemed particularly annoyed by Harry's lustful gazing at the blonde woman. Hermione would have to explain about Fleur's uniqueness later to prevent a problem from arising.

"You were the woman Xander was talking about?" Ron queried in awe.

Fleur and Xander nodded while Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. Dawn, beginning to get extremely pissed off at her boyfriend, jabbed him in the arm while drawling, "Gee, Xand, notice every other guy in here is eyeing her like a piece of meat?"

"Dawn!" Buffy scolded in shock. Of course they all could see that, but it wasn't something one said right in front of the person being stared at.

"Oh, it is okay. I am used to it. It is a little side effect from being one-quarter Veela. My grandmother was a full-blood one," Fleur explained, not noticing how much more confused she made some of them.

"What's a Veela?" Faith asked.

Hermione jumped at the chance to play teacher once again before Fleur could open her mouth and assured the two slayers and the elderly watcher that Veelas were not evil creatures. Seeming satisfied by the explanation and no longer worried over Xander's safety Buffy warmed up a lot more towards Fleur and went to fetch Willow away from her conversation with Tonks.

"Oh my god. That's her?" Willow asked incredulously when Buffy finally got her attention and forced her to look aside from Tonks's face. "Goddess, I hope he's willing to share." She didn't see Tonks's crestfallen face at that remark.

"She's a quarter Veela, which apparently is not a demon," Buffy explained. "And she's actually kinda nice."

Willow smiled and shook her head. "Well, isn't that a surprise?" She stood up from the couch and sighed, "Well, I have to give her the BFCE to make sure she's good enough for our Xander."

"BFCE?" Tonks questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Best Friend Cross-Examination. Just cuz she's not a demon doesn't mean she's not evil," Willow clarified.

Tonks looked at Buffy with an expression that said, _What? _Buffy merely shrugged and replied, "She's known him longer than I have. And Will, they're technically not dating…_yet._"

"Trust me, Buffy, it doesn't look like it'll be long before it will," Willow retorted with a large amount of conviction.

Buffy could only roll her eyes as the redheaded Wicca stalked ahead towards the group of people with Xander and his new friend in the thick of it. Dawn and Harry were no longer with the group, which had Buffy slightly worried. She did trust her sister to protect her honor; truly she did. But she remembered well how enticing the opposite sex had been when she had been Dawn's age. And Buffy did not overlook the fact that she had lost her own virginity at the age of seventeen, leading to consequences far more dire than the norm.

"Now where did those two get off to?" She sighed in annoyance and walked off to find her sister.

* * *

Harry had been dragged out of the living room by his incensed girlfriend and now found himself standing right outside the dimly lit library of the Firewells. Dawn was currently glaring at him and tapping her foot impatiently, which left poor Harry to wonder over what he had done wrong. 

"All right, I give up. What did I do to piss you off?" Harry finally asked in an exasperated tone.

"Think, Harry. Think _real_ hard," Dawn snapped angrily.

Harry did think; real hard just as his lady bid him to, but he could not think of anything he had done recently to make Dawn so angry. Finally, the girl got tired of awaiting her boyfriend's answer and subsequent apology.

"Let me help you out. How about you ogling Fleur like you wanted to frisk her?" she spat, letting bitter anger rise to the forefront.

Harry recoiled in indignation and slight guilt, for he had been doing a bit more staring than was prudent. But it wasn't as if it were his fault. This was Fleur Delacour they were talking about for one thing. And for another thing: He was a guy for Merlin's sake! Even Jordan had spoken of no longer getting angry when past boyfriends had stared at other girls.

_"It's a guy thing, it can't be helped. What was I supposed to do? Blame them for doing what it is in their nature to do? Hell, I stared at other guys when I was dating. It's not like we're married or anything. All bets are off if you're not married or engaged; you're not committed. Now, it is kind of stupid to go kiss someone else when you are dating if you want the relationship to last. I like to think of it as a courtesy to just stick with the one person, but don't take my word for it. I'm pretty much the only one in the group without a boyfriend."_

If only Dawn saw it that way, but apparently she didn't. She continued to rant about how Harry had been lax in his attention towards her of late while he just stood there. They were interrupted by the faint sounds of someone weeping in the library. It shut Dawn up right quick and sent them both creeping cautiously into the library. They found Ginny sitting in the corner with her knees pulled up tight against her chest, her arms crossed across her knees, and her face buried beneath her arms as her slight body shook with sobs.

"Ginny?" Harry asked softly. "What's the matter?"

The small redhead looked up and sniffled when she saw Harry and Dawn. Her blotchy hazel eyes welled with more tears and she tried in vain to wipe them away. Dawn advanced closer and knelt to her level, her face having completely lost all trace of anger and resentment to be replaced with compassion and sympathy.

"Ginny? Why are you crying?" she queried, reaching out to lay a sympathetic hand on the other girl's shoulder.

Ginny just shook her head to show that she didn't want to talk about it, but Dawn continued to press. Finally, Ginny sighed and said in a cracked voice, "Dean just broke up with me. And he told me…he told me…" It seemed she couldn't finish before she started to cry again. "Was it something I did? Did I make him that way? Am I really so despicable that I drive my boyfriend into the arms of another boy?"

Dawn and Harry then realized Dean must have finally confessed to her about his relationship with the Ravenclaw boy, Louis. The poor girl thought it was all her fault and was now sitting here crying her eyes out over it. Dean was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Dean?" Harry asked, feeling supremely angry that his roommate would choose to tell her now and here of all places. He should have told her a long time ago and there were times when Harry nearly told Ginny himself, but he forced himself to stay out of it. Now, he wished he hadn't.

"I told him to go away and to leave me alone for awhile. He…he didn't want to leave me alone, but he left anyway," the miserable girl replied.

Dawn merely sighed and slid over to sit beside Ginny and wrap and arm around her shoulders. "Gin, honey, it's not your fault Dean is gay. It's not even Dean's fault. It's just the way things are," she said, trying to comfort the crying girl.

Ginny looked away from Dawn's kind gaze and continued to cry pitifully causing Harry's heart to rend in two. He loved this girl like a sister and he was pissed off enough to kill Dean. When Ron found out, provided he was not too awkward over it all, he probably _would_ kill Dean.

"Why didn't he tell me earlier? Why did he wait so long?" Ginny moaned between hiccups.

Dawn didn't really have a satisfactory answer for her. "I don't know, Ginny. He was scared, I guess. I mean, who wouldn't be? I don't know how homosexuality is regarded in this world, but in the Muggle world a lot of times gays are treated quite badly."

This seemed to only make Ginny cry harder over Dean's predicament and her own. She had thought things were going perfectly up until a few weeks ago when he had started acting really skittish around her. Now that everything was out in the open she kept wondering over how she had not noticed. Maybe she had noticed but had thrown herself into denial so well she had let herself forget. And on top of it all, she still had feelings for the dark-skinned boy. She kept telling herself she should hate him and everything about him. She kept telling herself that she should be too angry with him to speak his name, but she was only a little angry with him and she couldn't hate him. She was just feeling so confused and depressed right now.

"Do you wanna come out of here and go for a walk outside? Maybe get some air to clear your head and a nice drink of butterbeer?" Dawn asked hesitantly.

Ginny drew a shuddering breath and shook her head. "I just want to be alone for a while, okay?"

Dawn nodded and rose to her feet. She took hold of Harry's hand and he let himself be reluctantly pulled away from his psuedo-sister. When they stepped outside the library, he punched the wall in fury and turned to face Dawn.

"I knew we should have told her! Why did you make us wait for him to tell her? Look what's happened!" he yelled.

"Harry! Shut up! She probably can hear us. Come on," Dawn walked down the hallway and stepped opened a sliding glass door to step out into the frigid air of a second-story veranda. She shut the glass door shut and then gestured for Harry to proceed in his outburst. He, however, seemed perfectly content to glare at the ground.

"It was none of our business, Harry," Dawn told him sternly. "Besides, I don't think things would have been much different had Dean told her a few weeks ago anyway."

"Well, at least it wouldn't have been here in the middle of a bloody Christmas party!" Harry spat in disgust. "I can't believe that wanker!"

"What are you going to do? Track him down and kick his ass?" Dawn asked bemusedly.

"Maybe I should kick his arse. I certainly feel like doing it," Harry replied shortly, his voice a lot quieter now.

"Yeah, and it'll just solve everything won't it? What is it with you boys and thinking beating something up will solve a problem?"

Harry didn't answer, but started pacing on the deck cursing Dean's name over and over. Dawn stood there looking at the scenery around them. Most of the trees were coniferous so they still boasted their green needle leaves unlike their deciduous cousins who had lost all of their leaves by now. The stars and the moon shone brightly in the clear night sky and illuminated the rugged landscape around them. The Firewell manor was nestled safe in its own vale within the mountains and she realized how lucky Jordan and Aidan had been to grow up here. Dawn had lived in the city of Los Angeles for most of her life and Sunnydale, while more rural than Los Angeles had been, was a far cry from a mountainous way of life.

"Wow, it's really beautiful out here," Dawn remarked out of the blue in spite of the situation. She forgot momentarily about the extremely cold air and the fact that she would be forced to go inside soon because of it. She walked up to Harry's tense form and enveloped her hand within his and huddled close to him, reveling in his body warmth.

Harry felt a sudden heat rise up inside him and his anger from moments before disappeared for the time being as he looked into Dawn's entranced blue eyes. How could he have even thought of being mad at her before? He leaned in to brush his lips against hers and she met him willingly. The kiss deepened as they both explored the mouth of the other that they already knew so well and soon their hands were groping about each other's bodies. When Harry's hands started to slide up Dawn's sweater, someone cleared his throat. That someone didn't sound extremely thrilled to find them this way.

"Boy, if you value those hands of yours, I'd suggest you remove them from Nibblet right now," Spikeordered in an extremely displeased voice. He was standing right outside the sliding door that neither Dawn nor Harry had heard being opened due to being thus preoccupied.

Harry and Dawn jumped away from each other and looked down at their feet as the vampire approached them. Harry frantically wiped Dawn's smeared lipstick off of his face and cursed the fact that she had to wear the stuff all the time. Both of them looked up with sheepish gazes at the piercing glare of Spike.

"Hi, Spike," Dawn stuttered, her kiss-swollen lips pursing together in distress.

"Hello, Lil' Bit. Getting a bit friendly out here, aren't we?" Spike was standing ramrod straight with his hands clasped behind his back. He was dressed in his standard long, black leather duster, but his shirt was green with the red-written words saying, "One day of coal. 364 days of fun. I'll take my chances." His pants were black and his hair was, as usual, the same slicked back platinum blonde.

Harry was too petrified by the vampire who acted as Dawn's foster brother to speak in defense of himself. He was actually trying to work at calming himself down in another place that had started to become a little bit excited. He hoped to god this vampire wouldn't notice.

"Well, it is a bit cold out here. Can see why you two would be wantin' to get warm. But I can solve that problem without having to resort to other methods. Why don't you come inside?" Spike walked behind the couple and clasped them both on the shoulders.

He steered the two towards the sliding door and pushed Harry inside first. Then he turned to the distressed Dawn and sighed. "Dawn, could you at least wait until you're eighteen? That's all I ask."

"What? It wasn't going to lead to anything! We were just making out!" Dawn retorted shrilly knowing full well that had Spike not interrupted when he did, it might have just led to that particularly something.

"Yeah, but that little snog was looking to turn over to shagging very soon. You have to watch out for that, Nibblet. Once you start, it's very hard to stop…believe me." Spike's grim face was very serious and Dawn felt shamed in his eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry. We just got caught up in the moment. I'll try not to let it happen again," Dawn assured him. "Don't tell Buffy. Please, Spike?"

Spike rubbed his temples and then patted Dawn's shoulder. "Secret's safe with me, love. You're gonna have to be the one to call the shots in this aspect, Nibblet. You lasses are a lot better at forgoing sex than us hormone-machines. I swear, you lot are like bloody camels," he said to her, shaking his head. "What I'm saying is, you should wait until all this rubbish with Voldemort is over with. The last thing we need is you getting knocked up by the Boy Who Bleedin' Lived with this damn war going on."

Dawn stared at him in perplexity at that remark, but allowed him to lead her inside and slide the door to the deck shut. Harry was waiting for her in the hallway and stiffened in fear at Spike's glower.

"You need to watch those hands, mate, if you want to keep 'em," Spike warned him.

Harry nodded faintly while gulping down the stone in his throat. He slumped against the wall in relief when the vampire left the two of them. Dawn came to lean against the wall beside him.

"Sorry about that. He was just being—"

"Insanely paranoid?" Harry ventured, breathing heavily.

"Well, we were getting wicked heavy back there. It's probably a good thing he caught us before it got any heavier. I mean, we don't even have any…erm…_protection_," Dawn pointed out, reddening in embarrassment.

Harry snorted slightly and thought about what might have happened had Spike not intervened. He looked at Dawn and took her hand. "Well, it'll happen sooner or later."

Dawn smiled cheekily and whispered, "What makes you so sure?"

Harry grinned slyly. "You can't resist my charms for much longer," he joked.

Dawn snorted and slapped him lightly on the arm. "Arrogant prat."

* * *

"_Ma petite_, you are not looking so well. I think you should listen to your mother and go up to bed," Jordan's grandfather advised, his French accent heavier after he had a few shots of whiskey. 

Jordan still was not feeling any better than she had yesterday. In fact, she was feeling quite worse, but was not willing to forsake the party and the chance to reunite with some of her friends from Cristallon just because of the pesky flu. Her mother's father, Jacques Cordreux, had been urging her to heed her mother's advice for the past hour and go to bed. She even replied once in that childish tone while saying, "I don't wanna."

Usually, whenever her mother's parents visited, Jordan and her family would all be conversing in French with them. She and all her cousins on her mother's side had learned the language at a young age as a tribute to their French heritage. Her grandfather had been born and raised in France and her grandmother, Lorraine Cordreux, was French-Canadian. Although she was marginally fluent she was not up to the task of speaking in a foreign language when her head felt so heavy. Well, at least the lightheaded feeling was gone.

"Grandpa, I'm fine. I'm a slayer, we're tough," she said, her voice lacking conviction. Goddamn this room is hot! I'm sweating like a pig. Her grandfather, able to read her as well as her mother and brother could, shook his head and laid a hand on her forehead.

"You are burning up, _ma petite_. Come, I shall take you to bed. Your mother would not be pleased if I let you stay here to pass out on the floor," Mr. Cordreux pressed, taking her arm.

"I am not going to pass out," Jordan assured the elderly man.

"Jordan, this is the last time I'm going to tell you. Go to bed," she heard her mother command behind her. "You're not helping any of your friends by staying down here spreading your illness. And you most certainly aren't helping yourself."

She looked over wistfully at Aidan and a group of her Cristallon friends huddled around him. And she spotted some of her Hogwarts pals amongst a myriad of friends, strangers, and family members. "Fine. You win; I'll go. But I have to warn you…I'm going to piss and moan about it the whole way up."

"Honey, you can do that all you wish as long as you get your rear in that bed and under the covers. I'll send Springer up with some of your Grandmother's infusions and soup later." Mrs. Firewell kissed her daughter on her flushed forehead and frowned in worry at the hot, sweaty skin.

"Aurora, I will take her up. Do not worry, I will make sure she stays in bed if I have to restrain her," Mr. Cordreux joked.

"Grandpa, slayer, remember?" Jordan reminded him dryly.

"I did not say I would restrain you physically," he replied casually, patting the pocket where his wand was kept.

"Do what you must, Papa," Mrs. Firewell mumbled, before kissing her daughter goodnight and going back to cater to her guests.

Jordan rolled her eyes and told her grandfather to wait a moment so she could bid all her friends goodnight. After receiving some well wishes as to her health and a snide remark from one of her ex-boyfriends—who remained her best friend—pertaining to joining her in bed she let her slightly inebriated grandfather lead her up the stairs to her bedroom. As soon as she got inside, she barely had kicked off her shoes before sinking onto the soft mattress and feeling her blanket drape over her. She barely heard her grandfather say goodnight in French before he shut the door softly behind him. It wasn't long before the spinning in the young slayer's head stopped as she drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

Downstairs, the Christmas party continued on into the late hours of the night. Lorne, decked out in a flashy suit of red (his green skin taking care of the other Christmas color for him), was standing upon a makeshift platform playing holiday tunes on a glossy black grand piano. Drunken party goers were standing up there with their martini glasses in hand singing broken versions of Christmas songs. Spectators watched in amusement while throwing out requests for songs and odd dances from certain individuals. 

Hermione watched the butterbeer in her glass swirl around languorously as her eyes flitted around the room from person to person. She had met some of Jordan and Aidan's friends from Cristallon and she could safely say now that they were, for lack of a better term, slightly weird. She could have sworn the boy decked out in Gothic clothes and wearing the dark eye shadow and black lipstick that was Jordan's most recent ex had been hitting on as many guys as he had been hitting on girls. And then there was that one friend who demanded everyone call him Axl Rose for some odd reason.

They were nice, no doubt about that, but Hermione wasn't sure if she felt totally comfortable around them. Ron and Dawn seemed to take to them quite nicely and she was now awaiting Ron's return from a chess match in one of the sitting rooms with a couple of those American witches and wizards. Harry was back there as well, giving his support to Ron. Having witnessed Ron in an endless amount of chess matches and winning ninety-nine out of one hundred of them, she declined the offer to watch.

She felt someone tap her on the shoulder and turned around to see, much to her surprise, Jordan standing there. She was wearing a thick, silver winter coat and had a knit cap on her head.

"What are you doing down here? Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Hermione asked.

Jordan shrugged and smiled. "I gave myself a home remedy. Now, I kinda feel like taking a walk outside. You wanna come?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her friend. "I don't think that's really wise, Jordan. You were sporting a pretty high fever."

Jordan rolled her eyes, took off her cap, and grabbed Hermione's hand to put against her forehead. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise when she didn't feel the burning heat of a fever. In fact, Jordan seemed a lot better than she had a few hours ago. Her skin was no longer so waxy and sweaty and her eyes were not so glassy and hazed. Still, something was a bit off about her. Maybe it was just the medicine.

"See? All better," Jordan said cheerfully. "Come on, it's getting kinda cramped in here."

Hermione just sighed and went to get her coat, scarf, and hat. She stuffed her wand in the pocket of her coat and put on her gloves before walking out the door with her friend.

* * *

Ron clapped the back of his worthy opponent, his face flushed with the adrenaline of victory. The three rounds of the chess match with Greg, who was supposed to be called Axl, had resulted in Ron winning two of them. The last game, however, had been extremely close. 

"You played a good game, mate," Ron told him.

"You too," the boy replied good-naturedly, shaking Ron's hand.

Harry came up and poked Ron in the back of his head while laughing. "Good job, Ron. I must say it was probably the most exciting game of wizard's chess that I've ever seen."

"Yeah, especially the part where Greg's—" Dawn earned a pointed clearing of the throat by the one called Greg, so she corrected herself, "I mean, Axl's queen started to sing some Christmas songs and a knight from your side attacked her just to shut her up."

"Poor stupid git," Ron muttered, shaking his head. He then looked around and said, "Anyone see where George and Vi went off to? Or for that matter, where the hell is Ginny? I haven't seen her for hours."

Harry and Dawn glanced at each other nervously. Dawn spoke up, "Um, I think I saw Ginny in the library last. And I have no idea where George and Vi went. I don't wanna know particularly either."

Ron nodded his head, seeing Dawn's point. "Yeah, I wouldn't either. Oh well, guess I'll go find Hermione then."

He walked into the living room hearing the sound of tipsy people trying to stay on key with the piano during "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." He saw Fleur chortling over some joke Xander must have told her over where he had last seen Hermione. He walked over to the couple and grinned at the garlands wrapped around their necks.

"Tis the season to be jolly," Xander explained to the tall redhead, his speech slightly slurred.

"Hi, Ron. Xander was just telling me some funny stories from when he lived in Sunnydale." Unlike her companion, Fleur seemed to be in perfect command of her speech and motor skills.

"Cool. Have you seen Hermione?" Ron queried.

Xander shook his head, but Fleur nodded hers. "I think I saw her go outside with…the girl that lives here…I can't remember her name."

"Jordan?" Ron asked in puzzlement.

"Yes, that's the one. The one with the auburn hair…or the younger one. I think her mother has the same color hair," Fleur said.

"I thought she was supposed to be in bed," Ron mused, too quiet for Fleur or Xander to hear.

He left the couple to their stories and walked over to where Aidan was talking with a statuesque brunette who was his cousin by the fireplace.

"Aidan, is Jordan out of bed by now?" Ron asked.

Aidan groaned and said, "She damn well better not be. My mother will kill her if she's not already killed herself with overexertion."

"Well, you might want to find her. Apparently, she's gone for a walk with Hermione outside," Ron told him grimly. "You would think Hermione would have told her to get her arse back in bed."

The brunette laughed. "Sounds just like Jordan. She never wants to admit it when she's sick."

Aidan rubbed his forehead in frustration and gritted his teeth. "Goddammit. She knows better than this. When I find her I'm going to—" He gasped suddenly and his face began to lose all semblance of color. His honey eyes widened in an emotion Ron could only define as fear. It made him very uneasy.

Aidan's cousin frowned at him. "Aidan? What is it?" the girl asked in concern.

Aidan's voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper as he said, "Something's wrong."

* * *

Hermione was beginning to get extremely worried when Jordan did not answer her questions as to where they were going, but continued to plow ahead through the forest. She had said she wanted to show Hermione this really cool hot spring and the fort she had built with her brother when they were kids. 

"Jordan, I know you said you feel better. But this can't be good for your health, being outside this long. And may I add, you are acting very strange," Hermione said, hopping over a tree root.

Walking through this forest, which bore a startling resemblance to the Forbidden Forest surrounding Hogwarts, awakened memories of past school years when Hermione had spent time in the Forbidden Forest. Many of them were less than pleasant and she was feeling trepidation rise within her now as she navigated through the woods.

"Come on, Hermione. Be a sport, it's just a little further," Jordan told her, not turning around.

Hermione groaned at the nonchalant tone in her friend's voice and quickened her pace to catch up with her. "Wait. Stop." She grabbed the girl's shoulder and forced her to turn around.

"What?" Jordan asked crossly.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Hermione asked carefully.

Jordan sighed irritably and vigorously nodded her head. "I'm fine, Hermione."

Hermione was not convinced, still thinking something was wrong with Jordan. The only reason she had continued to follow the girl was because she was worried about her. Now, she wanted to go back inside where other people dwelled. Out here she felt too exposed and isolated.

"I think we should go back," Hermione said firmly, her brown eyes serious.

Jordan's eyes were unreadable, but her mouth curled up into an odd grin as she said quietly, "What's the matter, Granger? Scared?"

_Granger? She's never called me that before._ Hermione furrowed her brow and looked Jordan straight in the eyes. "What's wrong with you? You're not acting like…_you_."

If she hadn't known any better, Hermione would have sworn she saw anticipation flare up in those honey eyes. Her slayer alarm system was now beginning to send a huge load of warnings; a few moments too late, they were. She could only gasp in surprise when she felt a sharp little prick on her arm. She hadn't seen Jordan's…or rather the fiend wearing Jordan's face…hand move to produce a syringe filled with a clear liquid and thrust it into her arm.

Hermione pushed the girl away and, breathing heavily, "What did you—" She halted in her speech when she felt the effects of the drug begin to take effect. She felt her slayer strength being quickly masked over by the drug and her limbs felt extremely heavy, too heavy for her to carry. She stumbled to the ground while other people began to materialize in the clearing where she and the other person disguised as Jordan were.

* * *

As Hermione and "Jordan" had been walking through the forest, Aidan had bolted across the living room towards the stairs with Ron and Aidan's cousin hot on his heels. The boy ran up the steps, traversing some of them by twos and threes, and ran down the hallway to his twin's bedroom. He didn't even stop to turn the knob, but kicked the door open. It swung open violently and banged against the wall with a solid thump. 

Ron and Aidan's cousin came up behind him, panting heavily. "What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked.

The room and bed were completely empty with the only sign that someone had been in here by the bunched up covers of Jordan's bed. Ron seemed greatly encouraged by the empty bed because he had been slightly worried the person his girlfriend was with had been someone else.

"She's not here, Aidan," the brunette told him.

"Which means she's outside walking with Hermione," Ron added.

Aidan, however, seemed only more distressed at not finding his twin in her bed. He stood in the doorway, his troubled eyes roving over and over the room before running back down the hallway. Ron and the cousin stood there with perplexed moods on their faces, watching him turn the corner to go back downstairs. The brunette's face eventually transitioned from perplexed to fearful realization.

"Oh my god. Something's happened to Jordan," she murmured, horror filling her voice.

Ron's hazel eyes flashed with fear when he thought of his girlfriend, who was with Jordan at this moment. If something had happened to Jordan then something could have happened to Hermione.

"Hermione!"

* * *

**Slayer In training: **It's not like a person can become straight when they're gay. It doesn't work that way. Personally, I've always believed Willow to be a bisexual but with a preference towards girls. But I can't change it now. I like her and Tonks together.  
**TheChosenOne1987: **You're welcome.  
**Silver Warrior: **True, true. Although, maybe it's just my imagination working overtime, but did you sense some subtle hints towards a Harry/Ginny relationship in the books? Cuz I did.  
**matthew: **Heh. That would be very funny, Ginny cheating on him with a girl, but sadly it's not happening in this story. But you'll get to see your precious Drusilla next chapter.  
**Lupus: **Yeah, I never did like it when fanfic authors made Buffy perfect. I mean, you have to stick to the persona as best you can and I'm glad you understand about the crossover thing meaning I'm trying to cover everyone. It's not very easy. As for Sirius, I've put off dealing with that situation for the sequel. But I do love him and Buffy together. Faith and Remus probably won't happen though because I might keep her with Robin. Don't really know yet.  
**matt: **Ah well, I'll be moving out soon to head to college. Anyhow, as for who's going to die, I won't say. I can't tell you if Vi will live or not, but I do like her character and that is always good for their health. And that wasn't playing dirty at all, I was planning on getting the chappie in for a xmas present, but I didn't quite make it. Thanks.  
**Goddessa39: **I don't know if you've already read, but I don't like Angel. I never really did. I can't say why except for that his whole brooding act annoyed me. I liked him a helluva lot better as Angelus. So, no BA, sorry. And the books never came out and said Fleur was with Bill Weasley, but Fleur would have to return his affections if there was going to be a relationship.  
**Chrios: **Lol. Yeah it was rather awkward. And you'll always have a supporter here for Willow/Tonks.  
**Wanderingsoul24: **Yeah, I'm writing from just about every perspective I can cram. Glad you like the return of Drusilla and the whole fiasco with Dean and Ginny. Don't worry, Ginny will take a while to get back in the dating scene. I never try to make things easy.  
Thanks also to **miranda**, **Mlle Amethyste**, **Roswell428**, **tenshikoneko03**, and **Saxifrage.**

Just as a side note, if anyone enjoys ER, especially Dr. Carter, I've started work on a BtVS/ER xover (you never see any of those). The title is, What Child is This?, and it features Shannon, the potential who was the first to meet Caleb if anyone recalls. Check it out if you're interested.


	31. Chapter Thirtyone

Ah, now this must surely be a record for me. Tis only been about four days since my last update and I'm updating again, though the chapter is pretty short. Don't get used to it though. School shall be back next week and I'll be run into the ground by end-of-the-semester exams and my next semester will be frightfully busy. As a warning, I might have to put this story and my others on hold until summer rolls around, but I'll try and squeeze in a few chapters here and there. After all, I do have all those _potential _snow days and then the professional days and Spring Break. My senior year of high school will be exceedingly easy since I'll have finished the bulk of my major academic classes in the preceding grades. Happy New Year to everyone! I also want to send out heartfelt condolences to those that lost their lives, homes, and/or loved ones in the dreadful tsunami that rocked the Indian Ocean around Indonesia…it's utterly terrible this death toll. Now, I am kind of getting this weird desire to join the International Red Cross when I'm older.

* * *

The effects of whatever drug had been injected into her system were acting quickly and rendering Hermione's limbs useless and rubbery. She tried to push herself back to her feet and attempt an escape, but all her efforts were futile. She blinked back tears of fear and frustration and tried to clear her thoughts so she could find a way to remove herself from this poor situation, which was growing poorer by the second. She fancied she could feel the coldness of the hardened snow on the ground seeping deep into her bones as she sat upon the ground. 

She did notice the appearance of cloaked figures entering the clearing where the treacherous sneak in the disguise of her friend had so deviously led her. The bookish slayer felt so angry with herself that she did not see it earlier; that she was not able to sense that Jordan was not in fact Jordan with her slayer senses. How could she, the glorified brainiac of Gryffindor and all of Hogwarts; as clever as a Ravenclaw with the courage and strength of Gryffindor, allow herself to be tricked like that?

Hermione felt like her entire life force was being drained and could think of nothing better than to lie down on the ground and go to sleep. She struggled to keep from losing herself to the alluring darkness pressing down upon her and concentrated on reaching down into her pocket to grasp her trusty wand. She was smart enough to know that even if she used her magical prowess against these people it would be for naught. She was far outnumbered and she barely had strength enough to stay awake let alone to run back to the house. But she could think of nothing else to latch onto and it made her feel more secure.

"Well done, my young friend," a dark voice intoned. Hermione shivered at the way the man's voice effected her, making her heart palpitate in terror. She did not recognize this voice, but it bore the same ominous tone of one whose intent is anything but helpful.

"Wish I could stay and watch that vampire torture the Mudblood bitch," Jordan's impersonator said. Hermione thought she detected a familiar air of disdain in the voice, but she did not trust her senses enough to tack on an identity at the moment.

She heard someone approach her and she brandished her wand as fast as she could manage while trying to crawl away. Her lungs were constricting with terror and causing her breathing to quicken its pace as her heart raced beneath her ribcage. She pointed the wand at the person coming towards her and yelled, "Stupe—"

She did not even finish uttering the words to the stunning curse before her wand was swept out of her hand by an invisible hand. It flew right into the outstretched hands of the figure swathed in dark robes before her. He stared at the object for a moment before snapping it in half between his fingers and dropping the pieces to the ground. Hermione cried out in fury at the destruction of one of her most prized possessions. She had had that wand since she was ten, when she first found out she was a witch and going to attend Hogwarts. That wand represented the beginning of a new life in which she found friends, adventure, her true calling, and most important of all, love. It seemed so impossible that it was now nothing but shards on the ground. She blinked back the hot tears in her eyes threatening to fall. She would not exhibit any more weaknesses in front of these people.

"Oh, don't worry, child. You won't need your beloved wand any longer. For what do the dead need to do magic for?" he scorned, his deep-set brown eyes glinting with malice.

Hermione swallowed hard and looked up into his face, "What do you want?"

"From you? Nothing really. I have no interest in the slayers personally. I'm just fulfilling my end of a bargain," he explained.

"What bargain?" Hermione's voice was little more than a whisper. She wasn't ready to die yet, but it didn't seem to matter right now if she were ready or not. If she didn't find a way out of this or if someone didn't rescue her, she would die. _Oh Ron, I'm so sorry._

The man snapped his fingers and Hermione suddenly was scooped up upon the shoulders of a vampire all decked out in its game face. She kicked and fought as best she could in her weakened state, earning the ironic laughter from the man in the dark robes, the one who led her here, and the other creatures surrounding them.

"Let me go!" she screamed over and over till her voice grew hoarse.

The man sniggered derisively and said, "The Cruciamentum drug is a most wondrous invention, wouldn't you say…Miss Granger, is it? Had to torture quite a few watchers to get that particular weakness out of them. I'm afraid I've given you a much larger dose than what is normally given to slayers. Needed to up the dosage a bit to completely ensure total loss of slayer strength, so you might feel a bit sluggish for a while. Of course, if my consort chooses you to be first in line, well, I suppose you won't have to worry about that." He ran his hands through a few brown curls that had fallen from Hermione's bun.

Enraged and disgusted by this man's sheer audacity in laying a hand upon her when she was powerless to protest, Hermione scowled at him and spit into his face. Though she really didn't enjoy the pastime many boys seemed to take pride in, she felt it was the only option left to her at the moment. The man wiped the fluid off of his face and grinned evilly at her. It was his way of telling her, _Did you really think that was going to change anything? I still am the one with the power here._

"Here's your portkey. She's the thirteenth one I've procured for Lady Drusilla and that ought to be enough. Thirteen is a lucky number for your kind. Give your mistress my best wishes and thank her for the services she has done for our cause," he instructed the vampires.

_Thirteenth? Thirteen of what? _Hermione did not have time to ask, as if she really expected an answer, before the clearing disappeared as the portkey was activated. The young slayer was whisked away to the place where she would most likely meet her doom.

* * *

Hastemire waited until all the assorted vampires and demons in the employment of the Lady Drusilla disappeared. He then turned to the remaining human other than himself in the woods. The girl had her hands clasped together in obvious excitement and she was barely containing her glee at seeing the Gryffindor girl finally get knocked off of her soapbox. She had dreamed of it for years and now she was finally witness that dream come true. 

"Miss Parkinson, I can remove the glamour spell now. You have done a very good job and you shall be amply rewarded. Indeed, the dark lord will be most pleased with you when I tell him of what you have done," he told the girl.

The girl smiled as thoughts of glory entered her empty little head while the warlock undid the glamour spell. As the girl's outward appearance returned to normal Hastemire suppressed the desire to redo the glamour spell. She had looked far more pleasing to the eye as the American slayer-witch. Her face now resembled that of an ugly little pug. He reached into his robes and produced a small bag of golden galleons and a pendent designed to be a portkey.

"Here's your money and your portkey to return home. You best do it now before the people in the house notice the girls are missing," the Wiccan warlock advised.

Pansy nodded in understanding and eyed her bag of money greedily. Hastemire could sense the supreme self-importance and pride within the young girl that he had just increased exponentially by using her in his plans of capturing slayer-witches in order to seal the deal with Drusilla.

As the girl disappeared from the clearing, Hastemire took a moment to review over the advantages his new vampiric accomplice had just given him over Voldemort and his enemies. Though the dark lord believed Hastemire to be gathering all these new connections and underworld forces specifically to aid in _his_ campaign of world domination and Muggle-blooded obliteration. Hastemire could not wait for the day when he could rip the chance to rule out of Voldemort's hands.

This was why it was so imperative Harry Potter be kept alive. Rumor in the underground was that he was going to be the only one powerful enough to defeat Voldemort, though Hastemire had carefully made sure none of that significant information made its way to the dark lord's ears. He had to pull quite a few strings and exact quite a few silencing spells to keep just that from occurring.

The most important piece of the puzzle of his plan had yet to be set in its proper pace and that particular puzzle piece possessed red hair, dark green eyes, and the name of a tree. But her time would come soon enough.

He turned to his demon servants and commanded them to prepare to leave these woods. For the moment, his work here was done. Now all he had to do was watch it play out in whatever way Fate deemed necessary.

* * *

Hermione tumbled unceremoniously to the ground as she and her vampire escorts reached their intended destination. Sore and slightly disoriented from the effects of the Cruciamentum drug, she worked at trying to bring her vision back to focus so she could get an idea of where they had taken her. The sky was darkened so that even the light of stars or moon could not penetrate the thick layer of precipitation-swollen clouds. The air was bitingly cold and the wind whipped around with an eerie whistling sound accompanying it. It was just perfect for the dismal prognosis of Hermione's situation. 

"Mmmmm. She's a right tasty wench, isn't she?" one of the vampires remarked in a gravelly tone. He leered at Hermione and she stiffened in fear.

"The mistress said all the girls were to be unspoiled before being brought to her. No sampling," another vampire warned.

"I wasn't talking about eating," the first vampire countered, rubbing his groin area. Hermione whimpered and tried to make herself as small as possible by drawing all her limbs close to her body.

"She said none of that either," the first vampire's cohort reminded him in exasperation. Fortunately, he was the one to heft Hermione up onto his shoulders.

While she was not happy to be touched by any of those foul creatures, she would much rather be carried by the one who hadn't been staring at her with those lust-filled eyes with the intention of raping her. She would have laughed had she not been too terrified to utter one word at all. What did it matter if she was raped if she was going to die anyway?

* * *

Vi and George nearly pissed themselves when the door to the guest room swung open and the bleak faces of Rona and two other slayers appeared. The three girls stood at the doorway, mouths agape, at the very intimate event they had just interrupted. They had just been sent to find the redheaded slayer after hearing of the disappearance of two of their own. The entire area surrounding the Firewell manor was to be searched thoroughly by orders of Buffy and Faith and every slayer here was needed to do it. That included the ones who were otherwise preoccupied. 

"Jesus Christ, Rona! Close the fucking door!" Vi screamed, pulling the blanket up further to cover herself and her boyfriend, both of whom were completely nude.

"Um, hurry it up and get dressed, will ya? We've got a situation," Rona explained, her dark hand moving up to shield her eyes as she groped about for the door handle. She finally grasped onto it and slammed the door shut.

"What?" Vi asked, still gasping for breath after her previous activities.

The three slayers stood on the other side of the door, eyes wide in shock before giggles overcame them in spite of the dire situation Rona had spoken of.

* * *

Buffy felt that this was all, in some way, her fault. Hermione and Jordan were her responsibility and now the two were missing, presumably abducted by Voldemort or some other foe. Misery is a gift that just keeps on giving, especially to those favored by Murphy's Law. 

After hearing Ron tell her of Aidan'sbelief of something happening to his twin and that she had supposedly been walking about in the woods with Hermione, she had instantly jumped to action. Word was immediately sent to the Order of the Phoenix including Dumbledore. One might think it odd to base all of their worries on the words of a sixteen-year-old boy, but Buffy knew not to doubt Aidan's word when it came to his sister

While she did not completely understand the link between brother and sister, she knew it was a valid one. Mr. and Mrs. Firewell had assured Buffy and her gang of the legitimacy of the link between twins in their family. After all, the husband and wife had a twin brother each and attested to the strength of the link. It would seem twins ran heavily in the family, on both sides.

She rubbed her temples tiredly as her sister slayer approached her, carrying something in her hands. Faith's face was distraught and her dark brown eyes were troubled as she held up the pieces of a wand.

"Ron found this and it shook him up quite a bit. I told Dawn and Harry to take him inside and get him something to drink. He can't go on for much longer before he loses it," Faith imparted to her partner, her voice tightly controlled.

Buffy murmured, "Oh, no. Hermione's wand." She took the fragments from the dark-haired slayer and clenched her fists over them. Buffy felt everything within her quail at the implications this broken wand was representing.

Hermione was a brilliant witch, especially for one so young in age. Her wand was like another extension of herself; her very right hand in fighting evil. She performed well enough with stake and sword, but put her wand in her hand and you would end up on the losing end of the battle for sure. To find it on the ground, broken in half, with its owner nowhere to be found was very disheartening.

Buffy looked over her shoulder to see Ron being supported by her sister and Harry. The tall redhead was walking between them with their arms each holding onto one of his arms. She could see, from far off, the figure of Ginny walking towards the trio to give comfort to her brother. Although she could not see his face, she could very well imagine the expressions that would be on there. She shook her head despondently and sighed, "Poor kid."

Faith nodded in agreement and rubbed at her eyes. "Spike and Angel are tracking the girls by scent, but they say it's very unlikely they're still here if they haven't found anything by now."

"Shit," Buffy muttered, running her hands through her hair. "How could this happen, Faith? Right under our damn noses?"

Faith just shook her head while murmuring, "I don't know, Buffy. I don't know." You knew it was a very bad situation when Faith called Buffy by her actual name rather than by the first letter. "Why was it just those two? Why not some other girls? Why not Harry, himself?"

Buffy drew in a deep breath and rested her head in her hands for a moment before lifting her eyes up to meet Faith's. "It's obvious, isn't it? What is it that makes Jordan and Hermione so unique among our group?"

Faith frowned at what Buffy was implying and said, "You don't think…I mean, if that's true, then we'd better warn the other twenty-five slayer-witches."

Before Buffy could give her agreement and head in to do just that, she heard the frantic voice of Andrew as he ran towards the two women, standing upon the rock outcropping. The young man's voice was evident of severe distress and subject to immediate attention.

"Buffy! Buffy! Faith!" Andrew yelled, his left hand enclosed around scraps of paper.

"Andrew, what's wrong?" Buffy asked, her brow creased in concern.

"These messages just arrived by owl. Six other slayer-witches have been reported as missing. One has been missing for over twenty-four hours," Andrew explained, handing the missives to Buffy.

Faith stood behind her while the two pairs of eyes skimmed over the cursory, but disturbing information. Both senior slayers felt their blood chill to deadly levels as the full horror of the situation was finally being shed the light it was due. Way overdue.

"She's been missing for twenty-four hours and we're just getting this information now?" Buffy exclaimed in shock.

"She was with her watcher for one day before going back home for Christmas holiday. When she didn't show up the next day, the family went to investigate and the found the watcher nearly dead on the floor and the girl missing," Andrew told them.

"Son of a bitch," Faith mumbled. "We need to warn the rest of them."

"Way ahead of you. I already sent messages via email to those with watchers and told them to send word to the others who didn't have actual watchers. I also sent them messages by owl. I told the other guys to go ahead and send word cuz they might get theirs ahead faster. Now we just gotta wait for the response and see who's still with us," Andrew informed the two.

Buffy's and Faith's eyes widened, clearly impressed with Andrew's quick deductions. There was no denying it now; Andrew had just made himself an integral member of the Scooby gang. The former Evil Trio member had steadily been worming his way into the coveted places of the hearts of the Scoobies and they had warmed up to him a great deal over the months since Sunnydale had been destroyed. He and Xander had forged a tentative friendship; bonding over the demise of Xander's ex-fiancée, which Andrew had been the sole one to witness.

"Damn, now I remember why we signed you on to the team," Buffy said.

"Yeah, good job, Nerdo," Faith praised.

Andrew gave them a small, appreciative smile, but it fell as quickly as it had appeared when he saw the approach of Spike and Angel. The two grim-faced vampires were walking slowly up the hill and Buffy had a sinking feeling that what they were going to say she wasn't going to like. Nope, she decided she wasn't going to like it at all.

"Buffy, I really don't like the looks on their faces," Faith noted, her voice sounding hollow and dry.

"Neither do I," Buffy said. She sighed and walkedover to meet her two former lovers.

Angel and Spike had managed to put aside their little dispute in order to perform their more important duties of the moment. They had both scoured through the lands surrounding the manor using their preternatural sense of smell to try and find the two missing slayers. As much as they and the two elder slayers they were reporting to wanted to deny it, their search had obviously been fruitless.

"They're not here, Buffy," Angel reported morosely. His large forehead was creased more than usual and his face was permanently frozen into its pale, grim expression it seemed. His dark brown eyes were darkened and shadowy with concern.

"And, um, you're not going to like this, love," Spike began hesitantly, his baby blue eyes glancing at Buffy apologetically.

Buffy drew in a sharp breath, afraid that one of the two vampires had sensed that something far more sinister than abduction had occurred. Abduction was as far an explanation as any of them were willing to go because anything more would be too much to handle and it would have been a bit too premature. She exchanged wordless glances with Faith and Andrew before nodding to Spike to go ahead.

"Well, we tracked Hermione's scent to where the wand was foundand as far as we can tell, that's as far as she went into the woods. So, I'm guessin' she was whisked out of here by some hocus-pocus, if you catch my meaning," the blonde vampire told her grimly.

"What about Jordan?" Andrew pointed out confusedly. "I thought she was with Hermione."

Angel shook his head, running a hand through his dark brown hair and rubbing the back of his neck. He took a deep, unneeded breath before continuing Spike's explanation. "If Hermione was out here with someone, it wasn't Jordan. We couldn't find a trace of her scent in any part of the woods recently. A lot of other people's scents…well, demons, vampires, and people, but not hers."

"What?" Faith stammered in disbelief. "Then that means either Fleur didn't see what she thought she saw or…"

"Hermione was walking around with an imposter leading her to a trap," Buffy finished, her lips thinning as she counseled herself to remain calm and posed though her entire body yearned to beat something to a bloody pulp.

"If Jordan wasn't the one Hermione was with, then what happened to her? She couldn't have been in her room the whole time…I mean, she would have been able to do something if someone tried to take her, couldn't she?" Andrew pointed out.

Spike then let out a hissing sigh and kneaded his forehead, his hand passing over his scarred eyebrow, a white line through the dark line of hairs above his eye. "Jordan's mum said that when she last checked on her she had a fever of 103 degrees and was out cold. Her grandmother had been about to take some infusions up to her to help bring down the fever right when we all discovered she and Hermione were gone."

"Oh shit," Faith muttered, dragging the favored curse word out. If Jordan was that ill and had not been given any medication, then she was in more danger than they previously believed.

Buffy nearly exploded when she heard that information. All the terrifying revelations and the possibility of adding two more casualties under her supposedly firm hand had finally made her lose that one last ounce of strength to keep control "You're telling me, not only have two of our girls been kidnapped, but one of them has a high fever, which is quite possibly steadily going higher as we stand here chatting? How the fuck did this all happen? Aren't there any goddamned wards on this place? Mr. and Mrs. Firewell are aurors for crying out loud! You would think they would have some security!"

Faith tried to lay a calming hand on her counterpart, but Buffy was not to be quieted so easily. She continued to rant on until her voice grew hoarse. "And what the _hell_ is up with this faulty communication? Six slayer-witches are already missing and we just find out _now_! Hell, for all we know, they're all probably gone…for good! What the hell kind of an operation am I trying to run, huh?"

"Buffy—" Angel said, holding his arms up in a placating gesture. He laid his large hands on her shoulders only to have them violently shrugged off by theenraged slayer. She walked off in a circle for a moment, her hand clasped to her forehead while tears formed in her blue-green eyes. It was all happening again…people were being hurt because of her lack of responsibility. Innocent girls had been taken under her watch because she couldn't protect them. Just like she couldn't protect all those poor potentials that had stayed at her house; those young, scared girls who were viciously killed under her protection.

"Buffy, don't. Don't blame yourself for this. None of us saw it coming and I'm just as responsible for all these girls' lives as you," Faith said sternly.

"Yeah, sure as hell weren't so understanding the last time people started getting hurt on my watch," Buffy snapped bitterly. She overlooked the fact that Faith hadn't really been at fault for what had happened between her friends and her after the disaster with Caleb. Faith had not meant for Buffy to be kicked out of her own home and to assume control of the crew when she felt so supremely unqualified.

Buffy stood still for a while, breathing in and out in a repetitious steadiness, trying to attain a degree of stability before continuing on with what she needed to do. She needed to be focused and tranquil in order to be of any use to Jordan and Hermione or her friends for that matter. They couldn't have a leader who was feeling like she was about to collapse from everything at once. She sorely wished her mother were here to give her the loving guidance she really needed. At least, she had Giles, which was a great respite.

At length, she returned to where the other four were waiting patiently and looking at her with concerned eyes. They were unsure of what to say or do at the moment for fear of sparking another precarious bout of slayer ire. But they were soon assured of their safety when Buffy apologized for her momentary fit and proceeded to lay out a crude map of what they had to do in order to get those girls back alive.

* * *

She was like an alabaster statue of a Greek goddess standing there in front of her carefully guarded makeshift fortress with an array of armed vampiric and demonic guards encircling her within their cloak of protection. She wore a jet-black gown that exposed her pallid arms and hugged her luxuriant curves in a snug fashion to leave many of her male workers bright eyed while lustful fantasies swam about in their heads. 

Her raven hair hung down slightly past her shoulders as if in credit to the more modern hairstyles and she twirled a long strand of it coyly around a long, pale finger decked with a sharp, blood red nail. Her mouth, so deceptively delicate, curved up into a smile of pure deviance when her sharp eyes saw what several of her servants were bringing her.

The form of a struggling teenaged girl with bushy brown hair, fair skin dotted with goosebumps, and crazed chocolate brown eyes was dumped rudely onto the ground right before the vampire woman's feet. She lifted the girl's chin up and grinned at her, causing the girl to quiver in fear.

"The stars sung to me and told me I can find my lucky number thirteen right here. It's you, pretty one, you're my lucky number thirteen," the vampire woman cooed, her lilting voice wrapping the girl in a cloak of captivation. "Oh, we're going to have so much fun! Maybe I'll make you like me and we can be sisters! And then we can have fun forever! Would you like that, Lucky Thirteen?"

Hermione managed to mentally free herself from the thrall, thankful the drug did not inhibit the strength of her mind as well as her limbs. She clenched her teeth and controlled her breathing to try and expose as little of her fear as possible. It was kind of stupid really since vampires could smell fear from a mile away. She tried to avert her gaze from the vampire woman, Lady Drusilla the man had called her, and her fathomless black eyes which seemed to ensnare one's very soul for the keeping.

She knew now for sure that this was the very same Drusilla who was part of the vampire quartet called the Scourge of Europe. She was the childe of Angelus, grandchilde of Darla, and the sire of William the Bloody, better known as Spike. Memories of the tales Dawn and the gang from Sunnydale had told her of this mad woman raised such a terror within Hermione she could practically feel it careening down her veins like a car gone out of control on a highway. If she doubted before that she was truly going to die soon, they were now shattered to pieces under the piercing gaze of the powerful vampire. The worst part about all this was she doubted her death was going to be anything _but_ peaceful.

She barely registered being dragged to her feet and forced to walk the rest of the way into the building, an old, crumbling compound it seemed. She wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell in the air as she was walked down the aisles between the doorways with barred windows where she fancied other prisoners were being kept. She winced at the sound of agonized screaming somewhere far off for the screaming had sounded much like it came from the mouth of a girl as young as herself.

Hermione was literally shoved into a small, cramped cell with a tiny window shedding scant moonlight that managed to penetrate through a break in the clouds on the area. She stumbled to the ground and scraped her hands against the rough floor as she heard the heavy, wooden door being closed and locked. She cried out in anguish at her predicament and slammed her fists down on the ground as she sobbed piteously in despair. She did not care that she was sixteen years old, a mature young woman far too old for screaming and crying. It was all she felt she was capable of at the moment since she was locked in here until her death sentence was carried out.

Her cries caught in her throat painfully when she finally realized she was not the only girl in here. Why her companion had made no sound to make her presence known, she did not know. When she got closer, she saw the girl was lying on her side with her front facing the wall away from Hermione. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but her breathing was very raspy and shallow sounding, making Hermione's tear-swollen eyes darken with concern. She crawled over to the girl and rolled her over onto her back to get a better look at her.

She gasped and cried out, while reeling back when she saw the familiar auburn locks plastered against the sweat soaked, ashen face as the moonlight illuminated her face. The eyes had the darkened, bruised look of one who was very ill and only becoming more so.

Hermione drew a shaky breath and smoothed the hair away from the face as she whispered in a cracked voice, "Oh my god. Jordan."

Jordan murmured something feverishly in her slumber, but did not awaken at the sound of her name. Hermione wondered if she had been awake at all since her mother had sent her up to bed. If she had indeed slept through her abduction and incarceration here, then this was worse than Hermione had believed. Touching her skin was like touching one of those fire-loving salamanders and it made Hermione's initial worries increase.

It was amazing what a sick friend could do to someone who had just a moment before lost all hope. From out of the depths of the abysmal nadir of despair, fortitude had suddenly flared up out of nowhere. Hermione steeled herself with determination after assessing the dim condition of her best friend lying before her. She now knew that she had to figure out some way to get out of here despite having lost both her slayer strength and her wand. There were a few things they hadn't taken from her, however, and they were her nearly insurmountable wit and intellect along with her inner strength and courage though she had thought them lost for a moment. She thought of Harry, her parents, the other slayers, and last but most certainly not least, Ron. She had to get through this for all of them because it could utterly destroy Harry if she was to be killed. And he was the most important factor in this war against Voldemort.

And she also knew she had to get through this for Jordan because the girl was, beyond all doubt, totally helpless right now as she lie there in her feverish coma. It was up to Hermione to save the both of them from torture and death. She just hoped she was up to the incredibly arduous task.

She lifted Jordan's head up into her lap and caressed the girl's face. She said softly, not knowing if the girl heard her or not, "I'll get us out of here, Jordan. I will, I promise you. I won't let them hurt you." She hoped her voice held more conviction in that sentiment than she currently felt.

* * *

**Swishy Willow Wand: **First off, lovely penname. Secondly, thank you. Thirdly, turkey, now you're making me wish it was Thanksgiving again.  
**Silver Warrior: **Well, I've prolly noticed a plethora of obscure hints that make no sense whatsoever. My friend and I keep like a record of weird theories, even more so now that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is coming to stores in seven months. See, I'm very lax about the pairings I read or write about for that matter. I'm planning stories with a helluva lot of unorthodox pairings. I think the only limits I place on myself are the story must be marginally well-written (after all, we're all amateurs, aren't we?) and I won't read stories with pedophilic relationships in them or incest because that is just…gross. Sorry about the length between updates, I try.  
**Damia – Queen of the Gypsi's: **Well, I can't cry in front of people either…well, I try not to cry in front of people. I don't know why I can't, but it does create complications. When something bad happens and I'm all…stony faced calm about it, people think I'm a bitch. Only my best friends can tell when I'm upset. But thanks for the kind words.  
**ztacel: **Wow. I've done the same thing and it's so annoying to my siblings. It's kind of like me and good books…can't put the damn things down. I read The Da Vinci Code in one night and spent the next day at school half-asleep. Good thing we're on break, huh? Glad you like my characters. Ginny and Aidan's relationship has neither been decided upon nor established. Like you, I'm just going to have to wait to see how the plot develops.  
**Hidden in the Darkness: **::Grins evilly:: Man, you must be dying quite a lot for I've read lots of facfics where main characters have been killed off. But be realistic, would I kill in the middle of the story…or am I crazy enough to do that? You be the judge.  
**Wanderingsoul24: **Well, in this fic, Bill and Fleur were technically not together though he obviously wanted more. And I loved Bill too. Xander is my favorite BtVS character and he doesn't need super powers to be my hero. You'll have to wait and see about the Aidan and Ginny thing. Mmmmm….Spike. Sorry, drifted off there for a moment.  
**Chrios: **Well, I like Remus/Tonks as well. I mean, if it's strictly HP-verse he's a good guy for her. But I also love the Willow/Tonks relationship. It's all good.  
Thanks also to **Saxifrage** for reviewing. 

**One more thing: **I'll be working on some mass revisions of the first thirty or so chapters (mainly the beginning ones). The reason I'm doing it and not a beta is because when I revise and check for mistakes and whatnot, I always end up adding details or taking away details and I'm pretty much the only one who can do that. All the mistakes from the beginning were beginning to bug me. There won't be any major changes, strictly minor since the story is too far in to try and change the plot for the outside in, if you know what I mean.


	32. Chapter Thirtytwo

Apologies for the long stretch between chapters. I'm taking two AP classes this semester and one of them was squeezed into exactly one semester when it was supposed to have been two and it's an immense amount of work.

And Jesus Christ, **matt! **Were you reading my mind perchance? You were exactly right about Jordan's secondary infection. Kudos!

* * *

Hermione's plans for escaping this almost hopeless situation had yet to be seen through. The sun was shedding a scant stream of light through the scattered breaks in the perpetual mass of gray clouds, but it did nothing to warm her spirits. She sat in the middle of her cell to let the sun shine its scarce light upon she and her companion, who had not awoken at all since she had been brought here. 

Jordan continued to slumber in an uneasy sleep in Hermione's arms. Though the young witch could not be sure, Jordan's temperature did not appear to have risen. That did not mean she was, in any means, out of danger. The looming threat of death and torture at the hands of the dreadful Drusilla aside, Hermione was gravely concerned over the rasping coughs racking her friend's body from time to time and the thick mucus she kept spewing up. Her breathing was ragged and shallow and it terrified Hermione. She was so afraid her friend would stop breathing, drown in her own fluids, if she left her alone for just one moment.

_She must have picked up pneumonia as well. She'll die if she doesn't receive medical attention soon! _

Sadly, there was no one there to hear her anguished cries over her sister slayer-witch's fate. Jordan's serious condition also posed the problem of distracting Hermione from her previous determination to plan an escape.

All she could do now was wrap the girl in her coat, as Jordan was not wearing one, and rock her back and forth while talking softly. Her line of thinking was, if Jordan heard a familiar voice through the delirium she might have something to keep her grounded and alive. Hermione had made a promise she would get them both out of this and Hermione Granger was a witch of her word. How she would accomplish it remained to be seen thus far.

The grating sound of the heavy wooden door scraping against the floor jarred the miserable girl from her thoughts. She sucked in a fearful breath of air and clutched Jordan closer to her as if she were a priceless possession in danger of being snatched out of her grasp. Had they finally come to take them to their doom at the hands of the alabaster goddess of death? Hermione almost wished that was the case because she was very near to losing her wits just sitting here with her extremely ill friend quite possibly dying in her arms. The waiting before the conclusion was sometimes far worse than the ending itself.

Two skulking figures entered carrying crude wooden implements that looked to be bowls. Both of the vampires—at least, she assumed they were vampires—were tall and gaunt. Their skin practically seemed to be stretched over their bones and their bodies were coated in dirt, blood, and other substances Hermione did not particularly want to know about. The two loathsome creatures set the bowls upon the ground without so much as a glance or a word to the curly-haired captive. When they stood back up, however, their eyes were trained on her and her companion. It was too dark to actually get a good glimpse of their eyes, but she could practically feel the hunger radiating off of them. Did their mistress starve them?

One walked forward, causing Hermione to vainly attempt to back up farther away. It was quite pointless of her to even try as she was sitting against the cold stone wall, but it was what her instinct was telling her to do. Her stomach flip-flopped in absolute terror and her heartbeat quickened its already accelerated pace. She tried very hard to suppress the whimpers her mouth kept traitorously emitting, but to no avail. Without her faithful wand or her slayer strength, she was about as helpless against these creatures as any normal Muggle.

"Don't worry. It's not your turn yet, Lucky Thirteen. My mistress is saving you for last. Doesn't it make you feel special?" he sneered, his voice, ironically enough, having a cultured air about it.

Before Hermione could do anything, she felt the weight of Jordan being lifted from her arms. She screamed out in rage and fear and lunged forward as if she were capable of getting her back. The vampire merely swatted her away with a simple flick of his hand, sending her tumbling back into the wall with a painful thump. She slid to the floor wincing and hissing in pain as Jordan dangled limply in his arms, still unconscious.

The creature ran his hands through Jordan's matted locks and sniffed her. His face twisted into a grimace of disgust. "This one won't last long. Smells rotten too."

Hermione was tempted to come to the defense of her friend by asking just how a person was to retain a pleasant body odor when being cooped up in a small cell without any washing for at least…however many days it had been. Truthfully, to Hermione, it seemed as if it had been weeks. Wisely, she chose to keep her thoughts to herself as she slowly rose to her shaky feet.

With a menacing snarl the vampire practically flung the limp form of Jordan across the room and she collided with Hermione who was once again forced back into the wall. Hermione emitted a choked scream of pain and rage as the back of her head once again made contact with the wall and her knees buckled under the dead weight of her comrade.

Fighting off a wave of dizziness, Hermione quickly checked Jordan over to make sure the girl was still alive and after being assured thus, dragged herself over to the two bowls lying before the now closed door. Her puffy brown eyes centered on the doorway and she felt a sudden surge of fury and despair overwhelm her entirely. She screamed with everything her parched throat could muster and, though weakened and dizzy, flew at the door. She scratched, kicked, and beat her fists against the doors until they began to bleed all while scorching tears ran down her dirty, pale cheeks.

Finally, exhaustion of body and soul began to eat at her and she ceased her tirade upon the door and slid down it to the ground still weeping copiously. Where was the brilliant Gryffindor who was reputed to be even smarter than the Ravenclaws? Where was the girl who was more able than almost anyone to keep her head in a crisis? This weak, dirty, smelly, sobbing, and bleeding wretch of a child whose number was nearly up had replaced her.

Hermione drew her legs in close to her body and wrapped her arms around them while laying her spinning head upon her knees. She rocked back and forth there in front of the door doing nothing much else except cry piteously as images of her family and friends ran through her mind. The family and friends she would never see again. _Ron, I love you. Please forgive me._

She lifted her head up to glance over at Jordan who continued to lie in her prison of feverish coma, quite possibly, completely unaware of what had befallen her. Perhaps she was the lucky one. She wouldn't have to just sit there in the cell like Hermione just awaiting in agonizing isolation and heart-pounding fear of the moment when the guards would come to take her. It didn't even seem like they were going to bother torturing her or even killing her for that matter. Maybe they figured natural forces already sealed her fate. After all, drowning in your own fluids seemed a far better way to go than what Hermione feared was in store for herself.

* * *

Two days. Two days had passed and still there was no sign of Jordan, Hermione, or the other eleven slayer-witches who had been taken. The few facts that had given any semblance of consolation to the bereaved Slayer and her gang were that no other girls had been reported missing and there had been no attempt to try and wrest Harry Potter from their protective grasp. If they lost him, they might as well sign their own death certificates now. 

Buffy rubbed at her itchy eyes, both of which were adamantly protesting the absolute lack of rest she was giving them. She wasn't the only one who was forsaking the bed for the seemingly futile search for their vanished charges. Everyone else was walking about Phoenix Headquarters in a manner very similar to that of a zombie.

The teenagers at least—Ron and Aidan to be precise—were slipped sedatives just for their sake and everyone else's. The two boys were not being any help at all in different aspects. Ron was near to hysterical over his girlfriend's disappearance (he barely acknowledged that she was only one of thirteen missing) and, while sympathetic, nobody had the time to comfort him. Aidan was much the same way as Ron over his twin, though he was slightly more useful than Ron due to his strange connection with Jordan. He knew his sister was still alive and, hopefully, Hermione and the others were too.

At the moment, Buffy was in a room of Order Headquarters surrounded by the drawn, ashen faces of her friends, sister, Harry, and the older members of the Order.

"Locator spell still isn't taking," Willow reported dismally.

"What about scrying?" Dawn asked tiredly.

"All I get is thick gray mist. There must be some powerful wards up of dark magic that I can't penetrate," Willow told them.

She was not quite willing to admit that she was afraid to breach those defenses because of the immense power it would require. The fears she harbored over losing herself to darkness and power all over again were still very real and very powerful.

"This is all my fault," Harry said flatly, his jaded green eyes staring off into the crackling fire.

"Harry, dear, that's ridiculous," Mrs. Weasley said gently, rubbing the boy's back.

Buffy didn't bother trying to refute the boy's statement because she had learned—from what Dawn had told her and from her own observations—that this was a habit of Harry's. Apparently, everything was all about him and anything that happened to anyone was always his fault. She smiled humorlessly at the thought because he reminded her quite a lot of herself. Buffy had always blamed herself for events beyond her control (although some had been within range, she believed). The weight one bears upon his or her shoulders can often trick one into thinking such things.

"Explain to me, Harry, how this is your fault? Cuz I would really love to know," Dawn asked irritably.

Since the disappearances, this was all her boyfriend did: wallow in guilt-ridden self-pity.

Harry's answer was a glare and nothing more.

Tensions had risen to new heights between the young couple; they were barely speaking to one another except in short, grunting answers. It wasn't just those two either. Everyone was barely hanging on to their last shred of sanity, especially the parents of Jordan and Hermione. Mr. and Mrs. Firewell at least had their experience and jobs in which to submerge themselves but Mr. and Mrs. Granger were, much like Ron, almost hysterical. They were Muggles and did not understand the world their daughter was apart of very well. They had always had some irrational fears about its dangers, though they continued to let their daughter live in the Wizarding World despite of that. Now, it seemed those fears weren't so very irrational at all.

Everyone jumped at the sound of Buffy's charmed cellular phone. After taking a quick glance at the caller ID, she excused herself from the room and the anxious faces and walked out into the hallway. After minutes that seemed to stretch out into hours the small blonde returned with an unreadable look upon her fair face.

"What is it, Buff?" Xander asked hopefully.

"That was Lorne. He said Wolfram and Hart might have a lead on their whereabouts. Gunn and Angel are looking into it now," she said, barely suppressing the quavering note of hope in her voice.

She did not want to get their hopes up, but it was the best lead—actually the _only_ lead—they had yet and she was willing to take any small morsel she could get. Every second that passed by was one less second those girls had and the world was a vast hiding place. Aurors and slayers on every continent were scouring about and they were bound to hit sooner or later; the big factor was time. Buffy didn't even want to ponder the abject hopelessness of their situation if the girls were no longer in this dimension.

* * *

He was suffocating. Or he wasn't. Perhaps it was his sister that was suffocating. Or perhaps it was just the combined effects of sleeping draughts and horrific dreams that caused Aidan to wake up on the couch in his family's living room in such a state. His forehead was sweaty and he felt like there was something compressing on his chest. He coughed so loudly that it sent his grandmother running into the room. 

"Aidan? What's wrong?" the elder Mrs. Firewell asked anxiously. She instantly came forward to lay a cool hand on her grandson's forehead.

"Nothing, Grandma." That was the truth. Nothing was physically wrong with him. It was Jordan.

He didn't know when the sensation began, but he did know that it was getting stronger. Something was pulling at him with such glaring intensity he fancied he was soon going to go insane from it. His head did hurt as if there were someone with a hammer pounding on the inside of his skull over and over. The knowledge that he had felt like this during the last few days Jordan had been at the Hellmouth, the days she had been doing the most physical fighting, was not at all comforting. And there was something else very wrong. It was so wrong he felt he should know what it was, but he could not for the life of him figure it out in his grogginess.

After being practically force-fed leftovers by his grandmother and being made to drink a rejuvenating potion his head began to clear up. He shakily traversed the steps up to the second story of the sprawling manor with his hand sliding listlessly up the banister. He paused when his eyes caught sight of the most recent picture of his twin that hung upon their walls. She was all decked out in raiment of which Muggle Gothic style was the closest description. He remembered well that particular event in which that type of costume (he referred to it as costume because it was not his sister's normal attire) was called for, a concert of _Netherworld Avengers_ or some other weird band Jordan was obsessed with. With the use of magic, her skin was literally glowing the color of milk and her eyes were darkened considerably by black eye shadow.

Aidan kept staring at the picture and the portrait began to eye him weirdly.

"What? Is my make-up smudged or something?"

Aidan began to whisper to no one in particular, "Her skin…it's so pale. It's almost like she's…_dead_."

His blood chilled to ice water as the impact of those words hit him. _Dead. _He finally understood what those feelings and sensations caused by the connection he had with his sister were. He should have known. He should have remembered how sick Jordan was before she had been abducted. She was not dead yet, he knew that instinctively, but she was damn close. So close that Aidan could practically feel the brush of the Grim Reaper's skeletal fingers himself.

He nearly jumped over the remaining steps down back towards the first story all the while crying a mantra over and over in his mind that consisted of the words: _Fight, Jordan. Hear me out. Don't do this to me. Don't you even _dare_ think about leaving me now. _

If his twin heard him, he didn't know and he didn't even pretend to hope. They had never been able to read the other's mind; it was only the emotions that were able to spill over and be transmitted from one twin to the other. He could only trust his fervent desperation would reach her in her peril and keep her alive long enough for she and Hermione to be rescued. Perhaps, with their situation being so perilous, the Fates would be kind enough to allow his words, and not just his emotions, to be heard by his sister.

"Aidan? Where are you going?" his grandmother asked sharply when she saw him whisk by her as he headed right for the fireplace.

"I'm going to get my sister back." His voice was devoid of emotion. It was far more terrifying to hear than any expression of outrage.

"Honey—" Mrs. Firewell cautioned gently. "I know the connection between you two. I did, after all, raise your father and uncle. But you don't know where she is."

Aidan had gotten a successful fire going by now just by using the nifty silver lighter Spike had given to him for Christmas. His face was hard and filled with deadly intent as he awaited the flames to grow higher before standing and opening up the small urn filled with floo powder on the mantle. His intense honey eyes stared at the powder in his hand for a while as if he were starting to have second thoughts.

"You're right, Grandma. I don't know where she is," he returned. "But I know someone who might."

He tossed the powder onto the fire, stepped inside, and said in a clear, determined voice, "Malfoy Manor!"

* * *

_**Hell hath no fury like a big brother scorned. This chapter goes out to all the protective big brothers out there, especially my own who is at sea right now doing Merlin knows what and whose ass better come home in one piece.**_

I understand this is an agonizingly short chapter and left a lot of unanswered questions, but since it was taking forever to finish I decided I would at least give you guys this one as a sort of filler to hold yourselves over until I manage to eke out the next. I figure one of the questions will be about the questioning of Death Eaters and all. Well, that shall be answered next chapter. As to the fates of Jordan and Hermione………….(these dotties explain so much, do they not?)

I bless and thank every one of my lovely reviewers. Tis you all that makes the story worth writing and stressing over.

**Aoi Dragon: **Awww, you don't like wacky Drusilla? That's okay, but she's fun to have around.  
**Damia – Queen of the Gypsi's: **I don't cry watching movies. I came damn close with _The Phantom of the Opera _and _Moulin Rouge_ though. Spike and Draco haven't exactly been formally introduced or crossed pathways yet because he hasn't spent much time at Hogwarts _and_ in this story the resemblance isn't very striking. It's a lot more subtle because I found it overdone a bit.  
**Chrios: **Anger and depression equaling happiness? In the world of Buffy and Harry Potter that is very possible.  
**FlutFlutLuver: **Um, I have no idea what you mean by DMC, but I say go for it and I wouldn't recommend boiling your head in a fat fryer because it's really hard to get the grease out of your hair. Other than that, thanks!  
**demondude12: **Wow, that was a mouthful. I leave Buffy as a secondary character mainly because she's not my favorite character (I still like her though) and she's almost always a major character already in other fics. Yes, I've read some Anita Blake, but it definitely would not fit well into this fic. I haven't actually had much time to read fics lately, but I'll try to take a look at yours. Thanks for the praise.  
**cbrownjc: **Oh yay! More hp/btvs fics. I know there's a lot, but I just love the little buggers. Thanks for the compliments.  
**matt: **No! I couldn't do that to Hermione ;). Unfortunately, I'm gonna need Pansy to keep her slimy face around for a while.  
**Silver Warrior: **Oh yeah, incest is a big hit with the purebloods. It's like the fricken royal families of Europe and their penchant for marrying off first cousins in the past. Intermarrying in the wizarding families must account for all those squibs that keep getting born. Wouldn't you agree?  
**danielle: **On the contrary, at the time I started writing this fic, (Xmas of '03) stories with Hermione as a vampire slayer were actually quite few. At least, I hadn't seen many of them. I can't speak for everyone.

Thanks also to **MaryAnn Granger**, **Crazy-Vampire Slayer, General Mac, slaygal166, LovesBitch2 **(love the penname), **seirra, tinyanywhere, buffy, PotterGurl07, beth, **and **reigen.**


	33. Chapter Thirtythree

I know, I know. This chapter is way overdue. Save your complaints. I tried. I really did.

This chapter is strictly from the captives' (a.k.a. Hermione and Jordan to be precise) point of view. The next chapter will take place at the same time, but on the other side of the spectrum like the Order's and Aidan and Draco's. I took a little bit of artistic license on Hermione's past. One reviewer pointed out a while ago that she needed real life experience or something. Well, I think all those brushes with death in her years at Hogwarts sufficed as "real life" experience, but this bit comes before Hogwarts. I don't know where the idea popped up.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **I may have led you some of you to believe one captive was killed per night, which meant Hermione would have her turn on the 13th or 12th (depending on whether Jordan lived long enough to be tortured) night. That is not how it happened. Drusilla killed some in multiples just for my selfish reason of not wanting to deal with so many characters and to get this out sooner. Some words are spoken in French, as one of the captives is a French slayer-witch. I used an online translator (due to my knowing about seven or eight words in French) and the translations are at the end of the chapter.

NEW NOTE as of 7/23/05: Fortunately for me, one of my reviewers is French! She gave me the correct translations and French dialogue I used. Thank you to **Vld**!

THIS IS DEDICATED TO: All my reviewers and readers who had to put up with the crappy updating. And my brother, Damien, who will turn eleven on the 16th of June. Perhaps he'll get a letter from Hogwarts. He would love that.

* * *

As much as Hermione hated to break promises, she had come to realize her promise to Jordan would go unfulfilled. Even though the fever-ravaged girl probably had not heard Hermione's vow to get them both out of this, she still felt like she was letting her friend down. Good Gryffindor that she was, she was always one to honor her word. 

Walking about their cramped, dirty cell with the stench of human excrement starting to completely take over, Hermione pondered, in an odd objective way, how much agony she would be forced to endure before the sweet release of death would take mercy on her. She had already heard the screams of her fellow comrades—though she did not know any of them, she considered them comrades due to their being slayer-witches and being in the same sorry situations—as they suffered the hospitality of their demented hostess. How many girls were to die? Thirteen, was it? Both Drusilla and her lackeys had called her "Lucky Thirteen", signifying to Hermione that she would be last. Would she be eventually killed and left to decay or would she be turned into one of those fiends?

Hermione would much rather die a thousand deaths than have her soul ripped from her body and be forced to exist as one of the very things she was supposed to kill. In a more sinister light, she was terribly afraid she would be implicated in Voldemort's schemes and be used against her friends.

She also wondered what would become of Jordan. As morbid as it made Hermione feel to think it, after grimly assessing her friend's condition, the possibility of Jordan dying within a day or two or even sooner was becoming more and more glaringly plausible. If that were the case, Hermione sincerely hoped her friend was safely encased within a better world inside her dreams than where her body was in reality. At least she would die without ever having to know what happened. Hermione almost wished their positions were switched, but she knew she could not wish a predicament like hers, knowing a drawn-out agonizing end was in the near future, on anyone.

Tiring herself out, Hermione slid down next to her cellmate and laid a hand over her head to stroke her matted auburn hair. Having finally accepted her impending demise, she no longer felt grief or despair, only a hollow numbness that made her feel cold from top to bottom. There was nothing she could do and judging by the lack of help from the outside world (she still could not judge how much time had passed), her friends could do nothing to help her either. Not even Dumbledore, with all his wisdom and knowledge, could save them. She did not doubt that he had tried his best along with Buffy and her gang, but it seemed their best had fallen short of success.

"I never told anyone this before, not even Ron or Harry, but I'd wager it no longer matters," Hermione began in a slow, monotonous voice, her cold brown eyes taking on a glazed, distant look.

"Two years before I got the acceptance letter from Hogwarts, my baby sister died in the hospital."

"See, my mum and dad always had problems trying to get pregnant. They went through a lot of miscarriages before they had me, and they were still pretty young. When my mum got pregnant again, it was regarded as almost a miracle, a gift from God. They were so happy they were going to have another child when once they believed they were going to have none. And I was so excited about getting a little brother or sister to play with and take care of," she continued, her voice still devoid of emotion.

"My mum was only five months along when she went into labor. We were both out shopping and her water just broke right in the middle of a checkout line. I was only eight at the time, so I really didn't understand what was happening, but I was so scared. But my mum, she was…calm and collected about it. She politely asked for someone to call for a doctor. Can you believe it? She just quietly asked for one even though she had every right to go into hysterics. It's absurd, I know. I didn't understand until a few years later that she did it for my sake. She hadn't wanted to scare me by losing control; she wanted to be strong for me."

Gradually, Hermione's voice had transcended from its icy-cool tone to a sad nostalgic air as she recalled the events she had never spoken of once in the nearly nine years since they had happened. Suddenly pouring it all out to a person who could not even hear let alone respond was a strange relief. She imagined this was what many dying people felt like when they were confessing all their sins to a priest for their last rites. Though what Hermione was speaking of was assuredly not a sin.

"I didn't know what was going on and nobody was telling me anything. My grandparents and my aunts and uncles were in the waiting room with me as well as quite a few cousins, but everyone was being extra careful not to upset me or enlighten me. All I wanted was to see my parents. I never guessed that something was wrong with the baby…I thought it was just something wrong with my mother. I remember holding onto the pack of nappies while it all happened. I know, it was early to think about nappy changing, but I wanted my mother to teach me how to do it so I could help her when the baby came. We were supposed to practice on dolls that day when we got home."

"After a couple hours, I was sleeping on my grandfather's lap still clutching the nappies to me when I was awoken by my father. His eyes were red and puffy and there were streaks of tears on his cheek. Everyone else was crying too and I thought something horrible had happened to my mother. When I asked if she was alright, he had told me she was fine. Then I didn't understand why everyone was crying and I asked why. He then took the nappies from me and handed them to my grandfather and picked me up."

Her voice faltered for a moment as her cool resolve began to weaken even more. She had no idea why she was saying all of this now, of all times. Why was she forcing herself to relive such painful memories when she should have been busy filling her mind with the best and most enjoyable?

Maybe it was because she was subconsciously desperate to thaw out the numbness that had been steadily spreading throughout her entire form. Digging up all the grief she had long since buried and nearly forgotten was sufficient enough to combat her coldness. Hermione never liked feeling cold inside. The mark of a true Gryffindor is one who can never be without at least a smidgen of emotion much less passion for very long.

"As he carried me to where they were keeping my baby sister, though I did not know she had been born yet, my father explained about how babies took a certain amount of time to develop inside their mothers and it was not healthy if they came out too early. They were not ready yet to live in this world and most of the ones that were born real early died. I was a bookish…erm…bright child even then, and I knew it was not time for my little brother or sister to be born. I asked if my mother's baby had come too early and he said yes. He told me then that I had a baby sister, but she was very sick and the doctors said she was not likely to survive the night."

"When we got there, I saw my mother sitting in a wheelchair beside a thing that looked to me like a plastic cage with armholes. My mum looked positively awful; she was pale, exhausted, and she looked so…sad. She had been crying too, but she smiled when my dad brought me in. I wanted to sit on my mum's lap and try to make her feel better, but my dad wouldn't let me. He asked me if I wanted to see my little sister and I told him that I did. I was so unprepared…I didn't think about it, obviously, I was only eight, I expected to see the babies I had seen whenever my aunts and uncles showed me my newborn cousins. It's so ironic how you can be so clever with books and knowledge, but so clueless about reality and how harsh it can be."

At this point, Hermione felt her throat constrict with withheld sobs and a few tears slid down her cheek. Jordan merely coughed loudly for a few moments before settling back down into her ragged breathing state.

"She was so tiny and she didn't look very human at all and she had all these horrible tubes sticking out of her. At first I thought it was all some horrible joke they were playing on me by replacing my sister with…_that_. I mean, that creature just could not have been my baby sister! They did convince me eventually, but it was still hard for me to swallow. I remember even thinking at the time that if she was going to look like that maybe it was better for her to die. People would make fun of her, but I would still love her because she was my sister," she stammered, her voice tremulous.

Before going on, Hermione muttered to herself ashamedly, "I was such a stupid child."

She swiped at her eyes and then cleared her throat. "My parents named her Mara Rose Granger; she and I shared the same middle name. She was such a strong little thing, but her heart only held out till a few minutes after sunrise. I remember watching my mum rock back and forth with her for the last few hours of her life. My father…he couldn't stay to watch and I remember watching him walk out with his hands over his face. I had never seen my father cry before that night."

"I tried really hard to stay awake, but I ended up falling asleep in my grandfather's arms. When I woke up, Mara was already gone. I had never felt more ashamed of myself or more like I had done something incredibly wrong when I found out I hadn't been there beside my mother when my sister passed away. It's a strange way for an eight-year-old to feel, I know. I couldn't look my parents in the eyes for weeks afterward; I just immersed myself completely in my books and schoolwork. I suppose I found an escape from my parents' grief and my own, in a way, through that medium. I had always been concerned about following rules and staying on top of my studies, but after my sister died I became almost obsessed with it."

Smiling nostalgically, Hermione said, "It changed a bit when I came to Hogwarts and met Harry and Ron. I don't know if the two of them ever told you how we became friends, but we weren't exactly best mates in the beginning of our first year. In fact, it all started with me overhearing them, Ron to be specific, calling me a bossy know-it-all or something like that. Isn't that crazy? The two of us bickered the most, but now I see it was because we fancied each other and didn't want to admit it."

Hermione sighed miserably and rested her head on her knees, her greasy, tangled brown curls spilling over her shoulders. Though she would have given just about anything for just one last glimpse of her boyfriend, Harry, her family, or any of her other friends, she did not make the often misguided wish of having them here beside her…unless they were going to liberate her. Though she had no clue as to what was going on with her friends and family while she was incarcerated here, she hoped they were not putting themselves in undue risk to rescue she and Jordan and the other girls. She was very worried about what Harry might do, judging from his previous actions in regards to someone he cared about being in danger. Harry had nearly been killed and the Wizarding World could not afford to lose him. He was their last weapon, their last hope against Voldemort. If Ron, Harry, or anyone else she knew and cared about got hurt in trying to rescue her, she would never be able to live with herself.

Hermione felt rather than heard Jordan's breaths get shallower and raspier. A jolt of fear propelled Hermione out of her temporary melancholia and leaning frantically over her sister-slayer. Hermione rolled the sick girl over onto her back and laid her head down to the girl's chest to listen as her stressed lungs struggled to bring in oxygen. The girl coughed violently and Hermione, though weakened, managed to lift her up into a sitting position to thump on her back as hard as she could as if Jordan were suffering cystic fibrosis—though her condition was remarkably similar at the moment.

"Come on, Jordan," Hermione urged desperately. "You can't leave me here alone.

Her coughs eventually subsided, but her breathing failed to deepen and even out, which did nothing to ease Hermione's anxiety. Her hands shook as she searched her exhausted brain for a way to help her friend bring in more air. But, with limited resources and being as ravaged as she herself was, no solution was forthcoming. Perhaps Jordan would die sooner than Hermione had anticipated. Or maybe Hermione had just been relying on blind hope that her friend would live a bit longer and had been fooling herself.

The sound of a distinct popping sound caused Hermione to shriek in surprise in spite of herself. When her swollen brown eyes set upon the source of the sound her mouth went agape in complete astonishment. She had to rub her eyes about two dozen times in shock before the red-gold plumage of the majestic phoenix registered in her mind. Was this some sort of an illusion? Had she finally succumbed to the madness born of isolation and despair? Could she even dare to hope that help had finally arrived?

"Jinx! How did you get here?" she gasped after finding her wayward voice. What Hermione would have known had she not been in such a desolate state was that phoenix magic operated on a level far beyond that of humans. Most magical barriers were not strong enough to keep a phoenix from where it wanted to go. Not only that, but they had uncannily strong connections with the few humans they bond with, which explained why Jinx was able to find Jordan.

More time must have passed than Hermione had originally thought; a few days before they returned home for Christmas holiday Jordan had casually remarked on it being so unfortunate is was Jinx's "fireball" time. It usually happened twice a year for her phoenix (it was different for every phoenix) and the period of being in a helpless newborn state lasted anywhere from a week to a month for Jinx.

The mystical avian creature preened herself almost lackadaisically for a while before looking curiously around her surroundings. Hermione almost imagined a look of utmost anger and horror on her friend's pet at the grim situation. Jinx turned her golden eyes back on the two girls and fluttered over to her young mistress. She prodded Jordan softly with her beak, crooning anxiously.

"Oh, Jinx. You can't heal her, I'm afraid. It's an illness inside," Hermione choked out, realizing the phoenix had been searching for a wound in which to heal so her mistress could be well again.

Phoenixes are remarkably intelligent creatures; far more intelligent than they are willing to let humans know. Hermione would have already known this due to Fawkes's impeccable timing where he helped Harry battle a basilisk and the sixteen-year-old manifestation of Voldemort back in their second year. Of course, phoenixes also know they cannot come to the rescue every time their foolish humans get into trouble; only when it is a last resort. Besides, according to Dumbledore, what had really called Fawkes to Harry was his loyalty to the aged headmaster and not because of a bond between the boy and bird. Jordan, however, _did_ possess a bond with Jinx.

Jinx flew over to the water bowl half-filled with stale water and held her head over it. Fat, pearly teardrops splashed into the water, barely making a sound. In her half-hysteric condition, it took Hermione a few moments to understand what Jinx was doing before she gasped and scrambled over to where the phoenix was. She clasped her hand to her mouth and tears stung her eyes as the hope she had thought lost a while ago found its way back to her.

"Oh, Jinx! You wonderful, brilliant bird! You're a genius!" Hermione cried, hugging the ethereal creature impulsively.

With shaking hands, Hermione lifted the bowl to take to Jordan, but a slight tugging sensation halted her in her tracks. Jinx flew up to perch up Hermione's shoulder and made a gesture with her head by pointing towards the bowl and then back to Hermione. This made the witch quite perplexed and her temporarily slow-witted mind took a while to catch on.

"You—you want me to drink it too? But I'm not ill," Hermione protested.

After Jinx made the motion again, Hermione finally decided she could drink a little bit of it just to appease the creature and then take care of Jordan. She took a few sips of the water she had sought to so carefully conserve in fear of it being the last bit of water she would ever have. The phoenix tears had given it no taste per se, but it tasted tremendously fresher and cleaner and altogether far more refreshing than when it had been brought. The young witch allowed herself to enjoy the sensation of the cool water on her tongue and sliding down her throat, soothing her frayed nerves and allowing her mind to clear.

Something began to trickle back into Hermione's body, but at first she was oblivious to it. When she noticed the peculiar feeling her brow furrowed in puzzlement until her brown eyes widened in surprise and joy. Her strength was returning to her! The tears of the phoenix had reversed the detrimental effects of the Cruciamentem drug! So astounded she was at the unexpected reaction, she nearly dropped the water bowl, but she was fortunate enough to have at least that much control at such a precarious moment. She might have been dressed in filthy clothes, her hair might have been matted and greasy, her face might have been smudged with dirt and tears, and she might have emitted a very pungent odor, but she was beginning to feel more like herself again, slayer strength and all. Whoever had invented the clichéd saying of never knowing how precious something is until you lose it had been dead on target. She had never known true helplessness until being stripped of her wand and her slayer powers. It was a sensation she was not particularly eager to experience again.

Jinx made an odd clucking sound—a rather impatient one—to let Hermione know she was wasting time reveling in her newly returned slayer powers. It put a supreme damper on her spirits when the girl was forced to remember where she was and how much danger she was still in. Even with her slayer strength, it would be impossible for her to escape this place, outnumbered as she would be, alone. It was extremely fortunate she was not the only slayer here and there was a possibility a few other slayer-witches were still alive, trapped and bereft of their wands and slayer powers and maybe even hope. Hermione made a vow to herself (she was also relieved her vow to Jordan might be honored after all) that she would rescue as many as she could and hopefully use Jinx to restore their strength.

She sat the bowl down beside Jordan and lifted her head into her lap. Picking the bowl up, she tipped Jordan's head up and poured some of the sloshing liquid into her mouth. Instinctively, the auburn-haired witch lapped it up and swallowed it, though she did not awaken. After drinking about three times the amount Hermione had imbibed, Jinx tugged on Hermione's sleeve to indicate for her to stop.

At first, nothing noticeable to Hermione appeared to have occurred and she began to think Jordan had been too far gone for even phoenix tears to help. Yet, gradually, color began to return to Jordan's pallid face and her breathing deepened until it reached its normal healthy volume. Hermione's breath hitched in her throat when she saw her friend's eyelids flicker open and shut for a few moments before snapping open completely. No haze of fever could be found there, though there was initial disorientation as there usually is right after waking up from a particularly _long_ slumber.

Eyes of honey brown alight with confusion stared into wet, tearful chocolate brown eyes brimming with relief. Furrowing her brow, Jordan spoke the first coherent words Hermione had heard in what seemed to be an eternity, "Hermione, why are you in my room? You know it's real creepy to stare at someone when they're sleeping. And, I'll have you know, I was having a very lovely dream with a very nude Johnny Depp."

Hermione let out a half-sob, half-hysterical laugh and tears slid down her face. She helped the very bewildered and slightly annoyed Jordan to sit up and get a first glance at where she had been staying for the time being. The transition of expressions on Jordan's face was almost comical as she finally became acquainted with what had been going on during her psuedo-coma. Now stripped of the illusion of being in her own room, Jordan sharply whipped her face towards her friend in acute distress and perplexity.

"What the hell? Why am I not in my bed?" She sniffed herself and grimaced as it were painful. "And why do I smell like shit?"

"You have no idea what's happened to us?" Hermione asked. She knew Jordan had been out of it, but surely she could have subconsciously picked up some of what had transpired.

"Uh, no, I was a little bit _preoccupied. _What has happened to us? Oh Merlin! Voldemort got us, didn't he?" she said in horror, her face paling again.

Hermione sighed and scooted a bit closer to her friend. "I don't know. I do know this is a stronghold of some sort of Drusilla's and some man who can do magic without a wand I could see is responsible for us being here."

Hermione quickly ran through everything that had happened to her and the little she knew multiple times until Jordan finally absorbed all of it. Needless to say, the other girl was beginning to wish she had never awoken from her erotic dreams for they had been monumentally more enjoyable than the stark reality she had awoken to. The girl buried her head in her hands and moaned into them for a while saying, "Oh god," over and over in despair before lifting up her face to look at Hermione.

"You do mean _the_ Drusilla, right? As in the vampire-on-continual-crack and with nails like razor blades?" she asked, a wild sort of hope in her eyes. Hermione loathed having to quash that hope.

Hermione frowned and inquired succinctly, "What other Drusilla do you know of?"

Hearing this only made Jordan return her head to its previous position of being covered by her hands while she began to moan all over again. Hermione wanted to let Jordan take time to come to terms with the situation as she had done, but they were on a tight schedule here. From the tiny window, Hermione could discern that it was still daylight, but from the constant blanket of clouds blocking the rays of the sun, she could not tell what time of day it was.

"Jordan, listen to me, we have to get out of here. Jinx's tears reversed the Cruciamentem drug on me and it probably did the same for you, if you were actually injected with it. They probably figured it had been no use and they would have been right had it not been for Jinx," Hermione said firmly, grasping the girl's bony shoulders.

"No use?" Jordan whispered. Then her eyes widened in realization. "Holy shit! My flu is gone! Jinx, you kick ass!"

Hermione gave her a very solemn look and murmured, "You must have had pneumonia as well. I thought you were…."

Jordan looked away and breathed in deep to collect herself and digest all that she had been through without her knowledge and how close she had been to death. She had honestly had no recollection of subconsciously knowing what was going on, but it was possible she had known. Perhaps she had called out to Jinx in her dreams. She wondered how everyone at home and abroad was dealing with this and what they were doing to find she and Hermione. Obviously, they had not been very successful because Jinx had beaten them to it. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before shakily rising to her feet.

"Careful," Hermione cautioned.

"I'm alright," Jordan replied flatly.

On her feet, she surveyed the small cell more closely and groaned. "If we do get out of this, my brother and father will never let me out their sights again."

"Ron and Harry will probably follow me around like bloody hawks," Hermione returned sardonically.

Jinx fluttered up to settle on her mistress's shoulder and nipped her affectionately. Jordan smiled faintly and caressed the bird while whispering, "You saved my life, girl. Thanks."

Both slayers' bodies tensed when they heard gruff voices speaking outside of their cell. Jordan's head swiveled towards Hermione in alarm and she quickly backed up against the wall when the vampire guards stopped in front of their cell. Hermione could see them through the bars and she clenched her teeth in anger and balled her fists, grateful for her restored strength so she could have the satisfaction of beating those bastards to ashes, though they were not directly or even very indirectly responsible for her abduction or incarceration. She barely caught Jordan shaking her head at her, as if she could sense what Hermione had wanted to do.

Hermione's breathing quickened in pace when she heard the creaking of another cell door being opened. She had not known another cell was so close to hers. She had certainly not heard any peep from any neighboring cells. They probably had tortured and killed all the girls in the cells farther away from hers and were now starting on her section. Jinx could not have shown up at a more opportune moment because they could save this poor girl (or girls) from a bloody and painful fate and themselves in the process.

Jordan made some indecipherable motions with her hands that made Hermione mouth "What?" in question before Jordan just threw her hands up in frustration and strode over to the door and clapped her hands on the thick iron bars that formed a small window to the shadowy corridor.

"Hey! Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumbass!" she announced, just loudly enough for the two vampires to hear her but not loudly enough to reverberate throughout the whole compound.

The undead creatures paused in their activities to turn their attention to Hermione and Jordan's cell where the insulting voice had originated. One of the creatures started walking over to their cell and Jordan signaled for Hermione to move out of sight, which, fortunately, she understood immediately. The vampire stopped right in front of the window and scowled at the slayer-witch on the other side of the door, which was glaring back at him.

"Excuse me? Did you have something to say?" he growled.

Jordan forced her voice to remain devoid of fear, a very hard thing to do, and surveyed the creature coldly. "I, uh…"

_This is the problem, idiot. You never think things through all the way. _Finally she muttered, "Screw it," and her hand shot through the iron bars to grasp the vampire's neck, lift him up off his feet, and smash him forward into the doorway with such force he was knocked unconscious. She dropped his literally dead weight to the floor and gulped uncertainly.

Hermione shrieked, "What are you doing? They'll all hear us!"

Jordan gave her a helpless shrug and backed away from the door as the other vampire instantly appeared in all his snarling glory. He was nearly frothing at the mouth as he hurled vicious insults at the girls and foolishly unlocked and subsequently swung open the cell door, incidentally unleashing the two powerful young women inside.

Right when the door swung open, Jordan laughed in surprise and delight at that bit of luck for now they would not have to break it down and drawled at the irate vampire in the doorway, "Now, really, that was even stupider than what I just did."

Before he could realize his foolish mistake, Hermione yanked him inside and slammed him against the wall. Recognizing this as the vampire who had pulled the sickly Jordan right out of her arms and pushed her away so easily, Hermione unleashed all of her fury through her small fists as she pummeled the creature into near unconsciousness stopping only at the sound of Jordan's voice.

"Jesus, hold him still, would you? I got a sword from the other dude," Jordan instructed in an amused voice.

Hermione reluctantly allowed Jordan to behead the vampire she so desperately wanted to pummel. She remained there, her face heated and red from anger and her eyes threatening to secrete salty tears of rage. Faith had certainly been accurate in letting your emotions of primal rage and power take over giving you quite a rush. Hermione could feel her blood thrum as her heartbeat increased and strength and rage flooded her limbs.

"Feel any better?" Jordan asked hesitantly.

"No!" Hermione responded crossly. "That was incredibly foolish of you! We could have alerted the entire place and then all the minions would be on us!"

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Jordan protested, shrugging her shoulders in the obtuse way of all who fall into a pile of dung and come out smiling like roses. Jordan had an uncanny knack for doing that, it seemed.

"We're just lucky this one happened to be extremely thick and didn't call for back up!" Hermione had, of course, been referring to the pile of ashes on the floor.

After allowing herself a few moments to calm down, she picked up the metal weapons that remained from the pile of ashes and turned to her sister-slayer. "Was that the only weapon on him?"

"Oh, no, he's still got some daggers and shit strapped on," Jordan returned nonchalantly.

Hermione frowned. "You didn't kill him?"

Jordan shook her head. "Not yet."

Hermione stomped her foot in frustration. "Why not?"

The other girl shrugged and replied, "He's close to my size."

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment to try and discern if she had heard right. With her gaze fixated on the other girl, she spoke quite coolly, "Excuse me?"

"Oh come on, Hermione! You, at least, were awake to go in a corner or whatever! I am not walking around in these filthy pants! I mean, that's just gross," Jordan explained, as if it should have been obvious.

Hermione merely shook her head and rolled her eyes as Jordan changed into the slightly baggy, but moderately clean pants of the vampire guard and discarded her own by throwing them back into the cell. There was really nothing more that could be done about their unpleasant hygienic status at the moment. Understandably, it was quite the least of her concerns at the moment. If they got out of this hellhole, then they could worry about getting themselves cleaned up and bask in the sensation of being back with their friends and family.

Her separation from Ron was beginning to sting more noticeably and she realized she wanted to get back to him most of all. Knowing him and his temper as well as she did, they had probably had to administer sleeping potions and she seriously was not flattering herself on this. If it were Harry, he would probably be worse. A smaller, but still substantial, part of her was also deeply concerned over what her best friend might be doing. She hoped Harry was handling this better than when he believed Sirius to have been captured by Voldemort. If not, she hoped Dawn or Buffy were able to keep him tethered, so to speak.

"You know, I have never been happier to have fallen asleep in my day clothes. It would really suck to have to go about this place in bare feet, though I guess I could steal some vamp's shoes too," Jordan remarked, as she tied her shoes back on.

She took all the weapons the vampire carried, thanked him almost sincerely, and then killed him with a swift swing of his blade.

"Okay, I'm ready to leave now," Jordan announced after strapping on some of the daggers.

"Wait, we have to rescue the other girls," Hermione reminded her

"Other girls?" Jordan repeated, her face looking crestfallen. "Oh, right. Other girls." Apparently, Jordan had forgotten about the other slayer-witches.

Hermione reached out to touch her friend's arm. "We can't just leave those that are still alive here."

"I know," Jordan responded defensively. "It's just…never mind. You're right, let's get them."

Hermione walked over to the cell door beside the cell she had occupied and noticed it had been shut and locked again. She peered inside the darkened area and searched for a sign of human life. There was, auspiciously, enough light to ascertain the crouched figure of a girl in the far-right corner of the cell. Her arms were wrapped around her legs and her head was resting on her arms, face down. Hermione could detect the sounds of weeping and though she could hear the girl whimpering words, they were spoken so low even her slayer-enhanced ears could not tell what they were.

"It's alright. We're going to get you out," Hermione told her in a kind voice.

The girl's head lifted up and she stared at Hermione, trying to figure out what to make of her. She did not answer back, but rose to her feet and tried to back further into the wall, a useless technique Hermione had often employed. The girl said something, but it was not in English; it was French. Hermione may not have fully understood the words, but she caught the tone quite well. The girl was plainly terrified and in the throes of hysteria.

"Jordan, come here. I don't think this girl understands English. I think she only speaks French," Hermione said, beckoning her friend over.

Carrying the keys and with Jinx perched on her shoulder to alert them well ahead of time if any enemy should come near (though they would most likely sense it as well), Jordan strolled over and looked inside at the frightened young slayer-witch.

"_Pourquoi ne me foutez-vous pas la paix, bande de salauds? Je sais pas si vous êtes avec eux ou des illusions, mais si vous êtes avec eux, dépêchons d'en finir. Vous avez déjà pris l'autre fille, pourquoi pas moi aussi? Amenez-vous! S'il vous plaît_!" the scared young girl cried.

Hearing this, Jordan sighed and turned to Hermione to say, "She thinks we're one of them or we're illusions, she's not certain which, but she wants us to stay away from her. They took the girl who was staying in the cell with her already and she thinks we're here to take her next."

"Well, tell her we're one of the slayer-witches and we've been captured too, but we've found a way out. Tell her we're not going to hurt her," Hermione instructed.

"_Nous sommes des sorcières et des meurtriers de vampires, comme vous. Nous avons été capturés aussi, mais nous pouvons avoir trouvé une fuite. Nous ne vous voulons dire aucun mal n'ayez pas ainsi peur_," Jordan relayed (almost verbatim) in a placating tone, but with undertones of frustration and anxiety.

Her words, however, had no effect. The girl was still too traumatized and scared to believe help had actually arrived at her cell. Jordan shook her head despondently and muttered, "She still thinks we're trying to trick her. She wants us to drop the ruse and leave or kill her already."

"Well, there's not much she can do about it anyway. I'd wager her slayer strength is gone like ours was and we have a key anyway. Just open the door and let her see Jinx; she might believe us if she sees a phoenix with us," Hermione said, getting impatient. They did not have the luxury of time for such things.

Jordan slid a key into the lock and slowly creaked the door open to reveal herself and Hermione in full. The girl initially moaned in terror and despair and slid to the corner while sobbing, truly believing she was to be taken to her doom. When she glanced back up, muttering some French prayer, her dark eyes rested on Jinx atop Jordan's shoulder and her breath suddenly caught in her throat. Jinx flew over to land by the girl and crooned encouragingly. The girl was at first just as astonished as Hermione had been to see the phoenix, but then she began to cry in relief. She rose to her feet and threw herself into Jordan's arms while sobbing and babbling in gratitude.

"What's she saying?" Hermione asked, wishing she had thought to learn more of the musical language.

Jordan stroked the girl's head and whispered soothingly to her in French. While holding the girl, she smiled at Hermione and said, "She's calling us her saviors."

* * *

It had been quite easy to coax the French slayer-witch—Monique was her name—into drinking the water enhanced with the healing power of phoenix tears. The dark-skinned beauty almost cried again when she felt her strength wash away the fatigue and weakness invading her body as it re-rooted itself back into her being where it belonged. She cracked the first true smile Jordan had seen since she and Hermione liberated—well, partially liberated—her. 

Hermione stood guard at the doorway, impatiently tapping her fingers against the arm she had crossed over her chest. They were quickly losing valuable time to find as many survivors as they could and she had the faintest inkling that dark would not be long in coming. If only she had a proper view of the sky, she would be able to hazard an educated guess about the time of day. Though the thick walls of the compound blocked out most of the sun's light, many vampires slept during the daylight hours. By nightfall, their chances of escape would dwindle exponentially.

When the three girls vacated the cell, Hermione was given the unofficial title of leader though she had not the foggiest notion of where she was going. Jordan had been unconscious when she had been abducted and Monique seemed far too upset to barely keep herself in line let alone two other girls.

Holding onto Monique's arm and following the fiery brunette in front of her, Jordan was still grappling with her inner proclivities to curl up into a fetal position and rock back in forth, possibly humming some annoying folk-song. The only thing that was keeping her from achieving said proclivity was the fact that she was still not entirely convinced this was actually happening. A part of her strongly believed this to be only a delirious nightmare induced from her illness or perhaps a deluded prolonged hallucination. For all she really knew, she could still be tossing and turning in her own bed.

Not being able to distinguish between nightmare and cold reality was both a frustration and a boon for Jordan. The frustration being namely that of just not being able to tell which was which and the boon being that if she could successfully trick herself into believing it was all just a nightmare, then she would be able to stifle her paralyzing fears. After all, if it is merely a dream you cannot actually be harmed, can you?

_I mean, how often does a girl wake up from a feverish coma to find herself and her friend in a dirty, cramped little cell in the middle of nowhere? It just has to be a dream, which is good, cuz I can do dreams. _If Jordan were to consider this rationally (which she did not particularly want to do), she would understand the possibility of the situation she was currently in was far more likely to occur for her due to her circumstances (being a slayer, being a witch, being associated with Harry Potter, etc…). It was a fact the slayer-witch obstinately tried to ignore, but a fact that kept finding its devious way to the forefront of her baffled mind.

A source of comfort could be found in the feathered form of Jinx. The phoenix had foregone flying for riding atop Jordan's shoulder. Though Jordan thought Jinx ought to apparate to her family and the Order, she felt immensely more secure with her here. If things turned out as they hoped and they did manage to rescue some survivors and escape these wretched bowels of hell, then they could send Jinx off for help. If only Jordan could gain some idea of where they were or at least if there were people, if not wizard-kind, nearby. Common sense dictated that if the area had once been home to people, they were either dead or had vacated the premises by now. Jordan abhorred common sense dictations sometimes.

Feeling her sixth-sense ripple portentously as they came across a three-way split in the dank corridor, Hermione withheld the gasp she wanted to emit and instantly pressed herself up against the wall, signaling to her two companions to do the same. She stole a glance at Jordan, who had felt the same presence and was looking alert but very grave. Hermione cautiously peered around the corner and then instantly brought her head back, sighing in relief. There were only two vampires walking the corridor.

"_Que voyez-vous?"_ Monique inquired anxiously.

Though Hermione could not understand the words precisely, she could guess that the fifteen-year-old wanted to know what Hermione had seen. She held up two fingers to indicate she had seen two vampires, but Jordan went ahead and translated for her.

"_Deux vampires. Pas de quoi s'inquiéter,_" she assured the girl with a confident smile.

They silently waited for the vampires to come to them and it was not long before they came into view as they entered into the three-way section. Hermione and Jordan instantly lunged forward and pulled both vampires back while Monique stepped aside with the sword Jordan had pilfered from a vampire raised and ready to strike. The girl narrowly missed slicing off Hermione's own head when she beheaded one of them. Within three minutes both vampires were nothing but piles of ashes on the ground.

"God, it feels so good to have my strength back. Now if only I had my bloody wand," Hermione remarked in slight triumph.

Jordan smiled faintly while she sifted through the ashes for the weaponry not rendered into ashes. "Not to rain on your nice parade or anything, Hermione, but we still are stuck in here. And we still have no idea how to get out or where other girls are being kept. All the cells we've checked so far have been empty," she grimly reminded her.

"I know, but we're not off to a particularly bad start," Hermione replied. "We're not dead or recaptured yet."

"Shhhh!" Jordan hissed. "Don't fricken jinx us!"

The phoenix on Jordan's shoulders perked her head up at the sound of her name and flapped her wings. She turned her golden eyes on Jordan in an almost affronted expression.

"Sorry, sweetie," Jordan apologized.

Monique seemed rather invigorated after the short skirmish; her dark eyes glittered with vitality and determination. She smoothed her unruly black curls away from her face and hefted the sword up in front of her to demonstrate how prepared she was to engage in another battle.

The corridor the vampires had come from had three heavy doors on each side complete with small barred windows at the top. Jordan prayed at least one or two of the cells had a captive in them because she was really itching to get out of there. She could not, obviously, in good conscience leave innocent girls behind to die at the hands of Drusilla. Besides, Hermione would not let either of them leave until the brainiac was satisfied they had done all they could.

* * *

A guttural moan emanated from the onyx-haired woman's throat as she sat straight up in her luxuriant bed. Awoken from her dreams of slaughter and gore by whispering voices of warning, she rose from her bed of virginal white to heed the intangible forces. Her beautiful white nightgown hugged her curvaceous body securely and her pale feet were bare unless one wanted to count the blood-red nail polish on her toes. 

The vampire mistress stood on the bare stone floor; her black eyes, swirling with madness, were transfixed on an invisible entity it seemed as she waved back in forth in the exclusive dance to the music meant only for her ears. The stars were singing along with the sweet essence of her most recent blood conquest as it coursed through her veins. Her delicate mouth curled into a sneer of anger and her beautiful face transformed into the distorted visage of a demon. She did not like what the song was about.

Her presents were being taken away from her.

* * *

The first cell they came upon contained two girls, a veritable jackpot as far as their luck had been going. It was too dark to discern the girls' precise origins to determine whether they understood English or not, but Jordan dispensed with pleasantries because her built-in slayer-certified warning system was starting to thrum rather loudly. They needed to leave this place and they needed to leave this place now. 

Both girls were clutching at each other and cowering in the corner in abject terror. Jordan entertained the notion of what it would be like if all vampires and demons did that when they saw her, but quickly shoved it out of her mind and worked on getting her goodwill across to these girls.

"Do either of you speak English?" was the first thing she asked. Trying to make sure they knew she was here to help would be much facilitated if they could speak with one another.

One girl with cropped, greasy brown hair and translucent gray eyes slowly stood up as her fear of their visitor slowly disintegrated and recognition set in.

"I know you! You were in the papers! You were that witch who fought at the Hellmouth in America!" she exclaimed, quite loudly, in an Australian accent.

It took a while for Jordan to make sense of what she was saying for she only read certain areas of newspapers and it usually did not include the front page or current events in general. She had totally forgotten about her fifteen minutes of fame when her exploits at the Hellmouth were made annoyingly public like she had done something heroic. Honestly, with the injuries she had sustained in that battle it was a miracle she had managed to stay conscious through it all.

"Is that a phoenix on your shoulder?" the girl asked when she noticed the bird.

"Yeah. Her name's Jinx and today happens to be your lucky day," Jordan quipped. "But we need to get a move on."

While Jordan took care of the two girls in her chosen cell, Hermione and Monique had found another cell with only one occupant and this girl was laying inert, facedown, on the floor. Tremulously, but speedily, Hermione jammed the keys she had procured from Jordan once she had opened up the other cell into the lock and pushed the heavy door open. She and Monique rushed over to the motionless teen, praying for her still to be alive and not severely injured.

Monique felt the girl's wrist for a pulse and released a relieved breath when she felt one; it was steady and strong, a very good sign. She nodded to Hermione who grasped the meaning without any need for words. Since there was no time to ascertain whether the girl had any spinal or head injuries, Hermione gently turned her over onto her back and brushed the blonde hair out her face. A prominent black and purple bruise on the girl's right cheek marred the pale skin and Hermione wondered if it was that, or, rather, what had caused it that was the reason for her present condition. She scanned the room and found two water bowls, one was turned over and the other was about three-quarters full with murky water.

This girl had hada companion, but it was clearly evident her cellmate had been taken already. Perhaps this girl had tried to fight for her and only succeeded in being overpowered in her current state and knocked unconscious. A commendable but essentially futile act, Hermione thought disconsolately.

"Hermione, are you ready—whoa! What happened to her?" Jordan appeared at the doorway with the two captives she liberated flanking her on either side. The Australian girl who had recognized her was named Jill and the still-trembling Spanish slayer-witch was Luiza.

"She's alive, but she's been knocked out cold," Hermione informed her friend in a relieved voice.

Jinx relinquished her perch upon her human friend's shoulder and fluttered down to the ground to give her own assessment of the girl. Monique fetched the water bowl and hurriedly brought it to the phoenix while glancing anxiously about the cell, perhaps remembering how she was very recently incarcerated in such a claustrophobic and depressing setting. She seemed particularly keen on leaving as soon as possible.

Before Hermione could even administer the water containing Jinx's mystical tears to the as-yet anonymous girl, Jordan came rushing in a frenzy of fear and haste. She very nearly knocked both Monique and Hermione over when she swooped the girl into her arms stating in an alarmed voice, "We need to go now!"

While Hermione and Monique had tended to the girl, Jordan had slipped from her position at the doorway to check the shadowy corridors just in case her newly returned senses might have failed her. Indeed, they very nearly did when she spied, whilst glancing stealthily about a corner, that not only was quite a vast retinue of vampire guards headed their way, they were being led by one very peeved looking vampire mistress—the notorious and criminally insane Drusilla. She quickly spun on her heels and practically flew back to where the others were still waiting. If there were any girls still trapped here, they would not receive any help from Jordan or the other five for if those six did not leave right away, they would most certainly soon be sent back into their cells and/or killed. Jordan was betting on the latter of the two wretched fates.

Normally, the corridors would have been filled with more guards, or, at least, far more attentive ones. But days and weeks of residing within the insipid compound while feeding on the few humans who occupied the area had rendered them rather bitter towards their mistress, but still far too afraid of her to ever try to escape. They had been enthusiastically anticipating the fresh, supple quarries their mistress promised were coming (the slayer-witches, of course), having heard of how drinking of their blood would be akin to drinking the blood of gods (obviously, their sources embellished quite a bit).

However, their mistress seemed quite resolute in keeping her toys and their succulent life-blood to herself. She would not even allow her minions to even share in the fun of torturing them with the creative devices she had had stowed in the compound. This was her gift for signing over her service and those she "employed" (probably more like enslaved) into the service of Lord Voldemort and his Wiccan servant. Drusilla did not particularly care for sharing her presents.

Knowing the girls had been amply stripped of their powers—both magical and slayer-wise—and with the addition of very powerful anti-apparition, anti-scrying, anti-locating spells, anti-so on and so forth wards to ensure that no rescue would be forthcoming, they decided not much guarding was to be needed. Had they been properly schooled in prison guarding or had been guards when they were alive (none of them had), perhaps they would have been more conscientious of their duties.

Hermione was aghast at the sudden change in attitude of her roommate. "What? We have not yet given her the water!"

"_¡Vampiros!" _came the petrified shriek of Luiza as she bolted down the corridor after the other two slayer-witches.

"Hermione! —" Jordan paused in the corridor for merely a second to beseech her friend to make haste, but her plea was abruptly cut short when she was rudely tackled to the ground by a demon in a white nightgown screaming like a banshee. The girl whom Jordan had been carrying had the unfortunate occupation at the moment of being Jordan's cushion, as the snarling madwoman had knocked Jordan into the ground front-first.

"Jordan!" Hermione shrieked in horror and shock. She started to dart forward to help her friend, but a group of vampires suddenly blocked her way out of the cell. She had inadvertently trapped herself in there.

* * *

Drusilla grabbed onto the filthy, tangled locks of the girl whom she had brought down and yanked her off the ground to heave her against the wall. The girl emitted a muffled cry of pain and fright when her head smacked painfully against the wall. The vampiress wrapped her long white fingers around the girl's neck and dug her sharp nails into the skin until she drew blood. The girl struggled wildly in her grasp and gasped for air as Drusilla's grip tightened on her windpipe. 

"You! Filthy, bad, bad girl! Trying to take my presents away!" Drusilla hissed, enraged.

In response, the girl kneed Drusilla in the gut with a stunning amount of strength; strength the girl should not have if she were still under the Cruciamentem drug. The vampire's grip upon the girl's neck lessened in surprise at the unexpected defensive maneuver so the girl was then able to snap her head forward to hit Drusilla right in the forehead with the crown of her head. Drusilla reeled back from the blow and stumbled into a few of her own guards.

Before the thoroughly pissed off vampire mistress could even regain her bearings and strike again, an unearthly sound filled the air. Tantamount to a dozen knives tearing at her eardrums and sending sharp threads of pain pounding through her head, Drusilla clapped her hands over her ears and screamed. Her guards were in no better shape, perhaps even worse. Most had fallen to their knees with their hands over their ears and were moaning in agony. Others were leaning against the walls and had their eyes squeezed shut as if in by shutting out their vision they could shut out their hearing as well.

* * *

Hermione had prepared herself to fight the creatures that were filling the cell. She had already vowed to fight her way out or die trying because there was absolutely no chance she would deign to put back into that dreadful prison cell. She could not be shut up again only to await her torture and death. She would go out valiantly, like a true Gryffindor-reared slayer-witch. It was a vastly better fate than rotting alive in her cell until she was killed in a far less glorious light. 

In the heat of the moment, she had completely forgotten Jinx was in the cell along with her. The phoenix was still standing upon the ground, blinking her golden eyes in an almost uncomprehending manner. Uncomprehending would be the glaring opposite of Jinx, as she understood quite well what was going on. When her mistress's friend had clenched her fists and taken a defensive poise, ready to fight till the death if necessary, the phoenix acted. She opened her beak and let loose a deafening cry that triggered an immediate effect.

The myriad of songs a phoenix can produce can have various effects on different people. Everyone knows that those who are pure of heart experience an uplifting in spirit and courage in the face of despair when they hear the song of the phoenix. For those whose hearts are impure, fear and despair will engulf them. To vampires, it was as if holy water or crosses had been transformed into song; such was its devastating consequence for whatever undead creature happened to hear it.

Hermione did not realize at first just why, but when she heard the ethereal sound she felt her heart swell with hope and courage. Suddenly, it no longer seemed so impossible to escape. In fact, it seemed impossible that she would not escape along with Jordan and the girls they had liberated. She gaped, awestruck, at the sudden change in the vampires that had been about to assail her. They were moaning piteously and clapping their hands over their ears as if someone were dragging their fingernails against a rough surface. She wondered what had gotten into them all of a sudden.

When she saw a dash of scarlet and gold zoom past her, she finally understood. A smile spread over her dirty, sweaty face when she remembered the particular effects of a phoenix's song on certain individuals. She skirted through the creatures and found Jordan standing in the corridor with a strange smile on her face. On each side of her neck flowed four nearly identical rivulets of blood from the small wounds inflicted by Drusilla's sharp nails. She appeared to pay them no mind.

"Wow. Did we know her song could do this to vamps?" Jordan inquired.

"I suppose it's only common sense," Hermione replied, gently lifting the still unconscious girl that had been knocked from Jordan's own grasp into her arms.

Jinx circled over the girls a couple times before pausing in her song to chirp impatiently. The girls wasted no time in picking up their pace and following the bird down the passage where the other three slayer-witches had run. They caught up with the other three rather quickly due to the girls turning back once they realized Jordan and Hermione were not with them.

Skipping over the pleasantries, Hermione merely ordered, "Let's go! Follow Jinx!"

"How does she know the way out?" Jill asked.

"Just trust her," Jordan advised. "She seems to be the only one who knows what she's doing."

They sped down the passages that Jinx led them through, not knowing where they were actually going or if the phoenix was actually leading them somewhere and not just flying away from the vampires. Either way it worked for Hermione and Jordan. At least it appeared they were making some sort of progress. They ran virtually blindly all the while looking over their shoulders, expecting to see an enemy to be hot on their trail.

Relativity laws dictated that they reached a stairwell after about five or six minutes of steady running, but it had seemed more like five or six hours. Without even a cautious glance to ascertain if there were guards at the top of the darkened steps, they bounded up the steps, far too desperate and impatient to leave this place. Instead of meeting with more corridors, they nearly ran into the door that blocked their way.

"Should we kick it down?" Jill asked uncertainly.

Jordan looked to Hermione, who was scrutinizing the door carefully. Instead of being fashioned of heavy wood, it was completely metal and grayish in color. There was no window on it so they could not see whether it led to a room, another corridor, or outside. She handed the limp girl in her arms over to Monique and quietly walked up to the door to lay her ear against it. She heard nothing save the rapid breaths and heartbeats of the girls around her, evidence of the fear-induced adrenaline they were still experiencing. Hearing nothing to indicate there was anybody beyond the door and rationalizing that if there were, they could take him (or them) out with Jinx's added firepower, Hermione backed up, lifted up her leg and kicked the door right off its hinges.

When Jordan saw what was outside the door, she threw all inhibitions aside and flung herself outside to kiss the snow-covered ground. She probably would have gone so far as to attempt snow angels in the frozen snow had Hermione not kindly reminded her that they should probably head into the woods for cover and then send Jinx off for help.

Jordan promptly followed them into the woods, only occasionally looking back at the compound that could have been her final resting place. Just thinking about what had nearly come to pass made the hairs on the back of her neck rise up and she shivered involuntarily. True, it was very cold outside, but her shivering had nothing to do with the temperature. She wondered if any of the other girls were feeling the sudden onslaught of reality—the reality being that they had escaped almost certain torture and death.

When Hermione stopped running, Jordan leaned up against a tree and slid down to the ground, not particularly caring if they were being pursued. She dropped her head into her hands and just sat there for a while in silence as she fully registered everything. She had not even been aware of the sweat sliding down her back and the fact that her heart was currently pounding at hummingbird rate. She only now felt the stinging sensations of the wounds on her neck left by Drusilla and her damn fingernails. When she touched a wound and brought her hand back in front of her face to observe the blood, her hand was shaking quite a bit.

"Are you alright, Jordan?" Hermione asked hesitantly. The color Jordan had only recently regained seemed to have dissipated somewhat.

"What? Me?" Jordan gestured to herself. She nodded her head and massaged the back of her neck. "I'm just peachy. How are you doing?"

Hermione did not answer but instead surveyed their woody, dark surroundings and peered up past the conifers into the gray, overcast sky. She sighed ruefully and walked over to the branch where Jinx had perched herself to stand sentry over her small group of humans. She cocked her head to the side when Hermione approached.

"We owe you a lot, Jinx. We would never have made it out of there if you hadn't come," Hermione said softly.

"Jinxy, you're gonna have to do some more for us," Jordan cut in. "Go find help. Aidan, Dad, Mom, Buffy, somebody…apparate to them and…I dunno…bring back a portkey or something. We need to get out of here."

Hermione nodded solemnly and looked back at the five other girls. Monique was still cradling the unconscious blonde girl in her arms and was leaning against a tree, looking particularly spent and forlorn. They had escaped, but others had still lost their lives such as Monique's cellmate and the blonde girl's as well. How many girls were still left in that god-forsaken place to possibly rot until Drusilla took her wrath over losing six of her presents on them?

Hermione felt infinitely guilty about that, but there was no possible way she could go back in there to look for them without reinforcements. By the time they did return, if ever, those girls would probably already be dead. For the selfish reason of merely wanting to alleviate her guilt, Hermione had half a mind to convince herself and the others that those girls had already been killed by Drusilla before they even escaped. It was a horrible thought, but she could not help but run it through her mind. It was possible, after all.

When Jinx popped out of sight, the six slayer-witches waited with held breaths for some form of help to arrive so they could leave this place once and for all. As the sky darkened somewhat and a frigid breeze whipped their dirty locks about, they hoped their aid would not be long in coming.

* * *

French Translations (Rough Translations): 

In French: "_Pourquoi ne peut pas vous les bâtards me laissent la paix? Je ne sais pas si vous êtes un d'entre eux ou les illusions, mais si vous êtes un d'entre eux le continuent alors juste déjà. Vous avez déjà pris l'autre fille, pourquoi pas moi aussi? Faites-le juste! S'il vous plaît!_"  
In English: "Why can't you bastards leave me alone? I don't know if you're one of them or illusions, but if you are one of them then just get on with it already. You've already taken the other girl, why not me too? Just do it! Please!"

In French: "_Que voyez-vous?"  
_In English: "What do you see?"

In French: "_Deux vampires._ _Pas beaucoup pour s'inquiéter au sujet de._"  
In English: "Two vampires. Not many for us to worry about."

Now to respond to my _patient_ ;-) reviewers. Thank you all so much!

**Aly616: **You'll have to wait until next chapter to find that out. Hope this one can ease the suspense a bit.  
**Sam: **More interaction between Jordan and Draco to come. Not so sure about Aidan and Ginny though.  
**yes thats ME: **Glad you think so. And I don't believe Tonks is gay in the series, but it suits the purpose it this story since I like the idea of her and Willow being together.  
**Charmed-angel4: **Actually, I did not know what Aidan truly meant until after I started writing the story. I always liked the name and it's a name I'm keeping for my future son. Of course, that'll be a long time from now.  
**matt: **Sorry about your computer. My brother did come home and thanks for the condolences. Now I just wish he would visit.  
**Silver Warrior: **I guess I'm kind of protective of my siblings as well. I'm the second oldest for my mom and the oldest for my father, so I get it both ways. You're dead on about the incest I believe. I suppose Draco would be an exception to the rule of ugliness.  
**Almadynis: **You're actually counting the grammatical mistakes? I'll save you the trouble and tell you there will probably be numerous ones, but not really obvious ones.  
**Aoi Dragon: **There are some great websites you can go to learn all about the Buffy-verse if you're lost. and is a great Buffy database. I've actually never seen Firefly, but I know the guy who plays Caleb was a leading character in it.  
**Vld: **Torture for Pansy and Bellatrix. Well……_maybe_ or _maybe not. _It's not like anyone really knows Pansy is the one who helped Hastemire. Hermione might have a hunch though, but that's about it.  
**slaygal166: **I was going to do that, but it was taking enough time to get this chapter out I decided to forego it this time. I might just put a summary of what's going on so far in my profile sometime later.

Thanks also to: **Chrios**, **Saxifrage**, **GinnyPotterFreak4eva**, **Idun**, **FanFictionDreamer**, **Chaotic reign**, **NeoDarkness**, **PotterGurl07**, and **DragoFlare4000**.

I'll be gone next week on a trip to some college program thing in Virginia (my birth state). So, definitely no updates next week, but they should come quicker now that it's summer. I say should because shit happens a lot it appears. Sorry for the wait. Until then!


	34. Chapter Thirtyfour

**A/N: **I'll be gone on a camping trip next week with my brother and grandparents, who came down all the way from Wisconsin. So, I've left you all this great big **_looooong_** chapter. I was too lazy to split it up into a two-parter and I stayed up till around 4 am finishing this because my Muse refused to let me sleep after bombarding me with my usual midnight creativity streak. My best ideas come when the moon is high and I'm half-asleep…I feel like Thomas Edison.

What sucks though is that I have to go to work in an hour. Oh well. I'm happy I finished this though. Very tired, but very happy. Although, in an effort to save time, I'm just going to say my thanks to the reviewers of the previous chapter at the end and forgo the responses for once. I wanted to get this in before I leave because I'll be dead on my feet by the time I get home and probably in no mood to do it.

Thanks to **thefirstphoenix** for offering to beta. I didn't get this in on time for you to proofread, but if there are major mistakes I'll take care of them afterward. I'll send you the next chapter though.

Warning: This chapter jumps around a lot.

Dedication: My sister Lacey who is turning 15 on August 10. I know, another one, right? I have three brothers and three sisters, so that's a lot of dedications to do. Good thing I don't do all my cousins, aunts, and uncles (Irish Catholic family, do the math)...don't know all the birthdays anyway.

I send condolences to any of my readers, especially my British readers, who have either lost loved ones in the attacks on London or had loved ones injured. I hope you all are okay!

* * *

Draco Malfoy cursed in excessive irritation at being disturbed from his lonely, but scrumptious Christmas Eve dinner. He stalked down the marbled opulence of the hallways of the Malfoy Manor to the parlor where, apparently, someone was trapped within the fireplace. A someone who was about to hear and possibly feel how displeased this young master of the house was when he found out who the cretin was. 

No one could actually get past the fireplace of any room or extension of Malfoy Manor without prior clearance by either Draco or his father. Since his father was enjoying his Christmas with the dementors in Azkaban, the younger Malfoy was now the only one who could issue clearance. It was a common precaution taken by wealthy, old, and prominent Pureblood families and a dead useful one at that.

One can only imagine the shock on the Slytherin Prince's face when he saw the sooty and irate form of Aidan Firewell, staring resentfully at the invisible barrier that had sprung up. What in Merlin's name was that fool doing here? And, being a scion of Aurors, would not he already be informed about the securities placed upon the Floo Network? Surely, his family would have a similar system guarding their own home.

"Firewell, isn't this an interesting situation you've caught yourself in? Trying to poison me in my sleep, maybe?" Draco drawled with a smirk. He was rather enjoying his advantageous position and intended to milk it for all it was worth, a true Slytherin to the end.

Aidan felt much like the fool he imagined the blonde bastard on the other side of the barrier viewed him as. How could he have forgotten about the floo wards? His family had them enacted on their network, though it was as far as their security went. Living in such an isolated area and living in the States where Voldemort had not been at large had made his family and others very lax in security concerns, except in areas (not including hellmouths) where demonic activity was prevalent. In light of recent events that inadvertently demonstrated how vulnerable they were even in their own homes, Aidan was seriously thinking security needed to be beefed up. If he managed to get his twin home alive, he would be surprised if their father ever let her out of his sight again.

Glaring up at the damnable Slytherin, Aidan gritted his teeth and said, "Malfoy, if you care at least just one iota for my sister, you'll let me out of here."

Draco rolled his eyes, completely misunderstanding Aidan's unspoken meaning. "Not this again, Firewell. Listen, I haven't been anywhere near your sister in the last couple of days. So, if you want to play angry big brother or some other such rubbish as that, then you'll have to floo uninvited to someone else's house. And when are you going to get it into that thick skull of yours that your sister is strong enough to take care of herself?"

Aidan's face was positively livid when he sprang up into a crouch (since his tall frame would not allow him to stand up fully) and slapped his hands against the invisible barrier. Draco was half-inclined to take a few steps back at the wild sparks in the boy's honey eyes. Desperation was making Aidan rather short-tempered and he was not going to be mocked by a Muggle-hating, bigoted Malfoy.

"I don't have time for this, Malfoy! Jordan doesn't have time! If you don't tell me where she is or help me find someone who does…she's going to die!" Aidan shouted, anguish making his voice hoarse.

Draco's metallic-blue eyes widened in shock and concern as he processed those words. Understanding as to why the Firewell boy was there finally made itself clear. He had honed his abilities to discern if someone was feeding him one elaborate load of rubbish or if they were actually being honest. As much as the blonde boy wished Aidan were lying—due to the thought of the boy's sister being in danger giving him a peculiar queasy feeling in his stomach—he could tell the boy was entirely honest…and extremely desperate.

Draco ran his hands through his near-white locks and gripped his wand as he deliberated over what he should do. He finally convinced himself that he would help Aidan, if only for the reasons of ridding himself of that sickening sensation in his stomach _and_ getting rid of his newest guest. He would not let himself dwell on just why Jordan being in danger made him feel sick.

He looked back at the auburn-haired boy trapped in his fireplace and took a deep breath. He brandished his wand and demanded, quite clearly, "Tell me what's going on and maybe I'll help you."

* * *

Ginny's hazel eyes stared into the clock in her living room that bore the names of every family member. While she may have been looking in the direction of the clock, she certainly was not seeing it. Her eyes were glazed over with the telltale signs of one whose thoughts are currently the center of attention. Her eyes were bloodshot and shadowy from the sleepless nights she had been experiencing. She thought being at home would make her more comfortable, but she was wrong. She was just as worried and grieved at the Burrow as she had been at Grimmauld Place. 

At least the whole ordeal had given her something to focus on other than Dean Thomas. Though it made her feel infinitely guilty to think such disturbing thoughts, she was glad to have something to take her mind off her ex-boyfriend. She had barely given him a second thought the past few days as far more pressing issues filled her mind.

She sneaked a glance at Ron and sighed dolefully. He was still sitting there in the chair in his semi-catatonic state; she doubted he had even taken one sip of the tea their mother had left for them. His red hair was greasy and disheveled and she wondered if he had even bathed once. He looked haggard and sapped of his will and energy. Ginny found it rather disturbing to look upon her miserable brother for very long. She was not used to seeing Ron in this state and, quite frankly, it scared her very much.

"Ron, are you hungry?" she asked hesitantly. Ginny had not seen her brother eat since Hermione's abduction.

He did not answer her, but shook his head negatively and rose from his seat. The sorrow that slumped his shoulders and basically pervaded his entire demeanor made the girl feel like weeping herself.

"Ron, please. You must eat _something_. Mum and Dad are really worried about you," she implored desperately.

Ron gazed at his sister sadly, all trace of his normal humor and conviviality gone from his reddened hazel eyes. What replaced it was a bleak look of complete and utter desolation. It looked as if he had already given up hope that they would ever find Hermione and the others before their time ran out, if it had not already. For all they knew, the girls that had been taken, Ginny's friends included, could already be dead. She and everyone else who suspected this, of course, did not express their thoughts aloud for fear of quashing what little hope remained.

Ginny awaited her brother's denial of hunger again, but instead found herself staring at his slowly receding back as he trudged up the stairs to be alone in his bedroom. Her face crumpled at his defeated attitude and she lowered her face into her hands, just wishing everything could be right again. Her head went snapping back up when she heard a popping sound right in the middle of the living room. Someone had just Apparated home.

She had expected to see her father, or perhaps Charlie, Bill, or one of the twins. She did not, however, expect to see who was currently standing there looking upon her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. It took a few moments after repeated failures to speak before the stunned redhead could find her voice.

"Per—Percy?"

The third eldest son of the Weasley clan found himself equally speechless before his young sister. He adjusted his glasses and twisted his hands around nervously. His blue eyes roved endlessly about the room, taking in what he had been missing for such a long time. They then closed in on the girl seated in front of him, whose mouth was agape; she was clearly shocked to see him.

"Hullo, Ginny," he greeted, his voice sounding uncertain and weak.

Ginny continued to stare, with widened eyes, at her estranged brother. Inwardly, she battled with conflicting emotions, which were sending her mixed commands on how precisely she should handle this situation. One side of her wanted to jump up and punch the prat right in his nose for being such a traitorous, backstabbing bastard. It was the same side that was fuming with anger, hatred, and bitter resentfulness over how he had treated them all for the sake of his precious Ministry job. Another side of her, so exhausted from the recent losses, was just relieved and unimaginably happy to see another family member, unharmed and alive. This side was commanding her to jump up and hug him, while forgiving him all his past transgressions. True, he might be a treacherous git, but he was still her brother. She did not want to have such a rift between them if something were to happen to either of them.

Percy watched his sister sit there in puzzlement, wondering why she had not jumped up to smack him yet. He had expected his siblings and father to shout at him, ignore him outright, or even inflict bodily or magical harm. He would not dare to hope, nor would he dare to think he deserved it, that they would welcome him with open arms and thank Merlin that he was not a casualty in the war like so many others had been. He was neither worthy of their forgiveness nor their love, not anymore. He understood that and he would accept it.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, her voice carefully neutral, biting back a vindictive diatribe her bitter side wanted to spew forth.

Before Percy could answer, there came a cry from the end of the room that led into the kitchen accompanied immediately afterward by a clattering sound as things crashed to the floor. Ginny and Percy turned simultaneously to see their mother standing there with her hands clasped over her mouth and her blue eyes brimming with tears. She was staring at her third born son and not moving, as if she were afraid if she moved he would disappear.

Percy felt his guilt multiply tenfold when he saw his mother. Of all his family, he had hurt his mother the most and he felt deeply ashamed over it. In an ironic twist of fate, she was also the one who would be the one to forgive him most readily. Her forgiveness was evident in the way she rushed over to the tall form of her son and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Percy! My Percy! Have you come home to us?" she sobbed into his shoulder. All the recent events had strained even this woman's impressive reserves of strength and fortitude. The thought of all those poor young girls, her son's girlfriend included, being trapped where no one could hearken to their pleas had drained the witch. She had begun to worry every time her husband or one of her children left home, truthfully believing she might never see them alive again. To have the one son who had been absent for so long at home in her arms brought her joy beyond her imagination.

"Mum, it's alright," Percy soothed, patting his mother's back and looking towards his sister helplessly. Ginny was glaring at him with unabashed hostility. Apparently, she believed their mother had suffered the most and he did not deserve such a warm welcome from her. It was a sentiment he shared, but could do nothing about.

After Mrs. Weasley could manage to let go of her son, she sniffled and took a few steps back to appraise him. His horn-rimmed glasses reflected her tear-stained face and she hastily wiped them away with her apron. To her sharp eyes, Percy looked to have been grossly underfed by his brand of "bachelor food", which Mrs. Weasley had kept complaining about whenever her sons left the house. She seriously believed that anyone who was not eating a home-cooked meal, especially her own, was not obtaining the sustenance their bodies required. If truth be told, Percy did look even lankier than usual, an aspect accentuated by his height and the skin of his face was even more tightly stretched around his cheekbones. Percy looked gaunt, exhausted; he did not look like a twenty-year-old man should look. Had his work been so taxing? What had that confounded minister been making him do?

"Merlin's beard! You're skin and bones!" she immediately decried. Ginny rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"Mum, really, I'm fine," Percy assured her, though having a bite of the cooking that he had been sorely missing for so long was very tempting.

"Nonsense! Let me fix you something to eat, dear," Mrs. Weasley urged, grabbing onto his arm.

Ginny smirked at Percy's hassled expression and her darker side began to entertain the notion of slipping some of Fred and George's products into her dear brother's food. She was also beginning to wonder how much trouble she would be in if she hexed the git just for good measure. After all, her reasons were perfectly justifiable in her mind and she was sure her father and other brothers would agree. Her mother would probably object and reprimand her harshly, but perhaps that would all be worth it. She could do it just once, just to appease the dark side of her that was eagerly crying for swift and bloody retribution.

"Mum, where's everyone else?" Percy asked, before his mother could further pull him towards the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley's face lost the glow from earlier and her mood darkened considerably at her son's inadvertent reminder over where the others were and what they were doing. She searched for words to convey everything that had been going on, but Percy already knew about it.

"I know about Hermione and…the other slayer-witches. When the Firewells alerted the American Ministry of Magic, they contacted us and asked us what they were going to do in finding one of their citizens along with the other twelve girls who went missing. They've already got tremendous search parties formed and they've been badgering Fudge to do the same," Percy informed her, sitting down on the couch and taking his glasses off.

"And what is he going to do?" Ginny asked, speaking up finally.

Percy sighed heavily and pressed the flats of his palms into his eyes. Something had happened to him, something significant because Ginny could not recall a moment when her brother looked so humbled and…simply put: not Percy-like. At least, she had not seen him act this way since her tumultuous first year at Hogwarts when a basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets had petrified his girlfriend.

When Percy spoke again, true disgust shown in his tone and Ginny's barely-there respect for him grew just a smidgen. "The minister, in his infinite wisdom, considers it a waste of time to expend valuable money, energy, and manpower to go looking for a bunch of dangerous creatures like Slayer-witches. According to him, we're better off without them. I believe he still has it in that thick head of his that Dumbledore is going to attempt some sort of insurrection even in the midst of the war with You-Know-Who."

Ginny's and her mother's jaws had dropped in complete horror and disgust at hearing that. They both knew Fudge was an incompetent moron, but they had never dreamt he would do something like this. And the man was still paranoid about Dumbledore? How could he honestly think Dumbledore would stoop so low as to try to overthrow him at all let alone when his hands were so full with the war against Voldemort? Was Fudge truly that deluded? If he was, it was glaringly obvious a change in management _was_ needed, desperately.

"The man's gone mad!" Mrs. Weasley cried, still horrified.

"Doesn't he know the Slayer-witches are much deadlier in the hands of Voldemort than Dumbledore?" Ginny sputtered, not caring how her mother and brother flinched at the name of the Dark Lord. Ever since Voldemort's return, his name had seemed a lot less frightening to her. This year, with the Slayers and the Firewell twins, her resolve had strengthened and she was quite determined to say his name and urge other people to say it sans fear. She still experienced a small shudder of fear when she uttered the name, but she was working on it.

"Yes, many of us mentioned that several times, in fact. And it also wouldn't do well to anger the American Ministry if we want them to officially ally with us this time instead of just getting the paltry forces they sent last time You-Know-Who was at large, which happened to have some Firewells in it. Letting the Firewell girl, who is a member of one of the most powerful and popular families over there, die is not exactly going to help our campaign. And the deaths of twelve other girls including one of Britain's own will put a blight on Fudge and ruin his career, once it gets out to the public. The French and the Australians are pressing for action too because two of the girls are from those countries and I'd wager more will come knocking on the Ministry door," Percy relayed in exasperation mixed with dread.

Ginny shook her head in denial. "I don't understand it. If everyone else at the Ministry wants to help look for them, why is Fudge so dead set against it?"

Percy kneaded his forehead and sighed. He looked so old for being twenty at that moment. "Because I think Fudge has completely lost his mind. He's been steadily losing his grip on sanity ever since You-Know-Who's return was made public. His favor with the people took an enormous dive when they found out he had been trying to pretend it wasn't so and kept discrediting Harry Potter, their hero, and calling him an attention-starved lunatic. Of course, they all forgave him and forgot they turned on him too the moment they found out he was telling the truth."

Ginny cut him off right there with a hard look in her eyes. "You did too. Don't forget you fell for Fudge's lies just as easily as those people."

Percy closed his eyes and grimaced as the memories of what he had said and done mocked him. Now was the time to make restitution before it was too late. If he could not redeem himself in their eyes, he could at least do so in his own.

"I know," he said softly, letting his pride down. "And if I ever see Harry again I will apologize…a lot."

Mrs. Weasley sniffled again, louder this time and sat down beside Percy to pat his back. Her son had changed so much in so little time and it was both a delight and a tragedy to the redheaded woman. She knew how Percy treasured his pride and dignity; the whole Weasley clan was like that, really. They may not have a lot of money, but they had plenty of love, kindness, good humor, and pride to make up for it. Percy had received the lion's share of the pride and dignity and she knew how much he balked at having it slighted. To admit to his mistake, his gargantuan mistake, and apologize for it must have taken a long time for him to work up the courage to do.

"Not just to Harry. You need to apologize to everyone…especially Mum," Ginny demanded, tears threatening to fall. "D'you know how pain you put her through? The rest of us were quite glad you stayed away, but it tore at her. You were such an arrogant prat and you practically disowned us when it should have been us disowning you!" By this time Ginny had succumbed to her tears of anger and was shaking from her sobs.

"Oh, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley cried, moving across the room to comfort her only daughter.

Ginny shrugged off her mother's ministrations and wiped at her eyes. Had she known this year at Hogwarts was going to be so emotionally exhausting she would have tried a year abroad in some remote place where Voldemort never stepped foot.

"Ginny, I _am_ sorry. I know I was wrong, and I'll do anything you want to make up for it later. But right now, I need to turn back to the issue of the thirteen missing Slayer-witches, as they do not have the time for our problems," Percy said to her, feeling every tear sliding down her cheek cut at him like a sharp dagger.

He might have been right, but it did not make her anger truly abate. She merely pushed it aside to await its release at a later, more appropriate moment.

"As I was saying, Fudge has really gone mad this time. I think the Summers woman's refusal to turn over control of her Slayers to him was the final straw; he snapped. Some of us have been talking with some blokes from St. Mungo's and they're going to have a look at him to see if he's fit to remain in his position. It's not like it would really matter anyway since he's going to be sacked real soon. The people were stretching it when they allowed him to remain in power after You-Know-Who's return was made public, but he's crossed a line this time. Letting thirteen girls die when he could have done something to help…he's going to pay dearly for that. The Ministry has formed search parties anyway and some have already been sent out, without Fudge's approval. Technically, they wouldn't have needed his approval, but for the sake of his image he should have bloody done it when first we heard they were abducted. The public will murder him when they find out."

Ginny sighed, feeling further convinced politics was a career she ought to stay away from. She furrowed her brow in puzzlement when a thought came to her.

"So, why are you here? Just to bring us the news of Fudge's impending sacking and/or assassination?" Ginny inquired, gazing at her brother suspiciously.

"No," Percy admitted, suddenly sounding sheepish. "I'm here to make amends…and to tell you I quit my job at the Ministry. Fudge was about to fire me anyway."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise and she heard her mother emit a shocked, "Oh."

"You quit?" Ginny asked, not believing those words were coming from her mouth. "But you loved your job! It's the reason you alienated us!"

Percy winced at the reminder, but nodded his head, forcing his expression back into a stoic one. He looked his sister in the eyes, blue boring into hazel, and explained what had happened.

"I wanted to try and convince Fudge to turn around on his decision because it was making every other country really angry and we could really use a good self-image if we're petitioning for allies. It didn't matter whether he wanted to look for the girls or not because either way we would have done it, but it does matter what your leader truly believes because that affects the morale of the people and, apparently, how other nations view us. He truly wanted to forget about those girls and continue trying to promote a good image of the Ministry, though I suppose he thought people wouldn't care that he was letting innocent lives die by not doing anything." Percy's voice was laden with pain and disbelief that a man he had once idolized could let him down so much. It was just another of the results of war.

He swallowed the repugnant bile rising in his throat before continuing. "I told Fudge there was no way not publicly saying you would do everything in your power to bring those girls home safely would help the Ministry's image. He accused me of being a spy of Dumbledore's and told me I should choose where my loyalties lie quickly or be fired. I kept trying to tell him that Dumbledore was not trying to take over because he wanted to stay at Hogwarts, but that only made him more convinced of the opposite. Then he did something which I could not allow to slide."

_Like what? Rearrange your desk?_ Ginny thought dryly. She kept her thoughts to herself though and kept listening.

"He insulted you lot…he insulted my family, which means he insulted me. And the words he used were rather unflattering, which I won't repeat. So, I…" Percy's train of words derailed and his face grew beet red whether from anger or mortification Ginny and Mrs. Weasley could not tell.

Ginny was growing antsy from impatience, so she asked, "You what?"

With a wary glance at his mother, Percy said in a low voice rife with rage and surprise at his own audacity, "I told him to take his cap, his wand, and his conspiracy theories and…erm…insert them up his rear. Not in those precise words, no, but before he could say I was fired, which I presumed was next, I told him I quit and…here I am. I'm going to help you lot find those girls."

If Percy was shocked by his own rare show of impudence, it was nothing to what his mother and sister were feeling. Ginny blinked her eyes, completely thunderstruck, as she struggled to comprehend what Percy—_Percy!_ —had done. Her ears had heard it and sent the message to her brain to process it, so he obviously said he had done it and he did not sound like he was lying or anything. It was just so completely unlike Percy, so entirely off the map of Percival Weasley, that she could barely wrap her mind around it.

_Percy told someone, the bleedin Minister of Magic no less, to shove something, no, multiple things, up his arse? _Although he had used different words in describing it to Ginny and her mother, he had assured them and she was certain he had used those words. At least, she hoped he did.

"Percy…I…I don't know what to say," Mrs. Weasley choked out, recovering enough from her shock to speak.

Ginny, however, did know what to say. She broke out into a true grin, leapt from her seat, ran across the room, threw her arms around her brother and said, "That was brilliant! Bloody brilliant! Glad to have you back, Perce."

Percy was sure that his sister was going to hit him or something when he saw her running towards him. It took him a few split seconds to decipher the grin on her face as one of delight, not murderous anger. When she hugged him so forcefully and praised him he was completely taken aback and had no idea what to do. Soon, though, he wrapped his arms around her and heaved an inward sigh of relief. Ginny, it appeared, had bestowed her forgiveness upon him.

_And all I had to do was tell the Minister of Magic to shove some things up his arse_, he remarked wryly to himself.

When Ginny let her brother go, she sat down beside him, beaming brightly in spite of the horrible events still going on outside the Burrow. At the moment, she could not help but rejoice in her brother's actions and his return into the fold because then it meant they were a true family again. It meant her mother could be happy and content again.

"Oh, Percy," Mrs. Weasley sobbed, dapping at her eyes with her apron again. It was an odd feeling to be proud of a son who had done something she would normally have harshly reprimanded him for. Especially when that son was Percy, who had never done anything to merit reproof before.

Percy would have liked nothing more than to bask in the warmth of his mother's and sister's love and forgiveness, but he knew they would need to hear his next ominous words if they wanted to prepare themselves for the worst. He was having trouble coming to terms with it himself.

"Mum, Ginny, as smashing as it will be for Fudge to be chucked out of power, that will leave his seat up for grabs. Many people are going to be clambering all over the place to take it for their own. Since we're at war, we need someone who's not afraid to get dirty, is a fair leader and with good morals, and not afraid to lose face and such, but who knows if we'll get that."

Ginny and Mrs. Weasley exchanged confused glances. What was Percy trying to say?

"There is one whom I know would be particularly eager to take Fudge's seat and twist the public around to see they need someone like her. In normal circumstances, she would never make it, but times like these…folks get desperate for a true leader…even if she is a false one. You never know what could happen. And she'll do whatever it takes, I think, to become Minister of Magic."

Ginny felt a massive sinking feeling invade her body, flanked by shudders of foreboding that scattered up and down her spine. Mrs. Weasley had gone completely still, her face white.

"Who, Percy?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Percy sighed deeply and uttered the two names like a curse, "Dolores Umbridge."

* * *

Harry tried unsuccessfully to make his green eyes spout magical lasers so he could burn down the door that was keeping him trapped in number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Though he knew they were doing it because they were scared he might do something rash, he could not help but glare resentfully at the Aurors that stood guard in front of the fireplaces and any other exit ways to make sure their precious quarry did not try to escape. It was not like Harry would be able to do anything if he did escape, except go to Voldemort and bargain for the return of all the girls, most especially Hermione and Jordan, in return for his life. He had entertained the notion briefly and then banished it from his mind. Signing himself over to Voldemort in exchange for the lives of thirteen girls would be akin to signing the entire wizarding world to death, those girls included. Still, he could not help but hate knowing he was currently a prisoner in his own home. 

His own home; it sounded so strange in Harry's mind. He hated calling a place that had once belonged to a living, breathing man, a man who had been the closest Harry had to a father, his home. Sirius may have left him this house and his entire fortune, but all that did was make him number twelve, Grimmauld Place's rightful owner. He could not say aloud that it was his own home. Just thinking it sounded so ridiculous.

Besides, the place looked so dreary and depressing with it's peeling wallpaper, rotted furnishings and curtains, dismal portraits and decorations, and Mrs. Black's occasional wailings. Well, Mrs. Black was no longer a problem since Faith had grown tired of her screaming and had used her Slayer strength to rip the portrait off the wall; the Permanent Sticking Charm no use against the strength of a Slayer. She then had Willow banish it to somewhere up in the arctic to bother the polar bears, she said.

He casually glanced over at his pile of spell books, rolls of parchment, and quills, untouched since Christmas Holiday had begun. If he actually started some of his homework, it would take his mind off current events, but not completely. He would not be focused enough to pay attention to the words and it would just be one entire disaster after another until Hermione would have to fix it.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and squeezed back the tears in his eyes when he remembered his best friend was among the abducted. If they did not find her, she would never be able to scold him for not doing his own work, while tidying it up for him anyway, again. And he did not even want to imagine what Ron would do if his girlfriend was not returned to him. He would lose them both. Hermione would be lost physically and Ron would be nothing but a shell of his former self.

He drifted aimlessly from room to room, the movement at least giving him something to do other than sit and stew over his bleak thoughts. He was not allowed to leave Order headquarters in case some attempt should be made to abduct him as well. Practically everyone else other than the Auror guards and the acrimonious Kreacher were all that remained in Grimmauld Place.

Dawn had left with her sister and the rest of the gang for Los Angeles a few hours ago to work with Angel's crew at Wolfram and Hart. Mrs. Weasley had whisked Ginny and Ron away to the Burrow, with the intention of bringing Harry with her. She was denied that, and she reluctantly acquiesced though it was clear she disapproved of him being left here in this drab setting alone. She promised to come back to fix him a lovely, filling dinner though, since she was convinced he was never getting enough to eat. She had had to practically shovel food in his mouth the past few days.

And Aidan. Well, Aidan had never left Firewell Manor as far as Harry knew. He was being kept under the watchful eye of his mediwitch grandmother while the rest of his family was scouring about for his sister. If Harry had thought to suggest it, he would have told them to bring Aidan along on the search since his connection with his sister would be an invaluable asset. Then he remembered the connection wasn't like a homing device, it was an emotional connection and their only way to tell if one of the girls, at least, was still alive. Aidan would know if his twin sister died, everyone grimly acknowledged that fact. So far, she was still among the living. As for the other twelve, including Hermione, they were clueless.

"How are you doing, Harry?" he heard someone ask from behind. Harry recognized the voice as belonging to Lupin.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. The werewolf looked upon him with sympathy and slid down to sit next to him.

"I suppose that was a foolish question. Of course you're not doing well," Lupin answered for himself.

"Any word from LA yet about the lead?" Harry asked.

Lupin sighed wearily and ran his hands through his graying brown hair. In a few days the full moon would arise. The beast inside of him was beginning to awaken in anticipation of being released. Another transformation, another bit of life being siphoned off his body and aging him beyond his years. Snape, using the excuse of being far too busy with his double agent work, had not been making any fresh supplies of Wolfsbane potion. Since the potions master was the only one who knew of his affliction that was able to concoct the complicated remedy, Lupin would have to barricade himself up somewhere so he could not hurt anyone. He had been greatly hoping they would find the girls before his transformation, but the odds were not looking to be in his favor.

"I have a bad feeling the lead will be rather useless," Lupin replied gravely. "If none of our locating spells and none of Willow's scrying have found anything…"

Harry knew Lupin did not to have finish what he was saying. He just did not want to think about it. He did not want to accept the fact that their situation was completely and utterly hopeless. Whoever had taken those girls had intended for them to never be found. Thinking this instigated a surge of hatred so intense; Harry had never felt anything like it before save once—when Bellatrix Lestrange had murdered Sirius. He wanted Voldemort dead. He wanted to strangle the vile wizard with his own bare hands until the wretched light went out of those gleaming red eyes. Though no one had solid proof Voldemort was involved in the girls' abduction, Harry had no one else to blame and no one else who had more of a motive.

In a dry, humorless voice, Harry whispered to himself, "Happy Christmas my arse."

* * *

Buffy did not even need to hear Lorne say that their lead had led nowhere because she had already felt it in her bones the moment he had picked up his phone. The sorrowful Slayer leaned back in the comfortable leather chair as the green Empath demon shook his head sadly. His red eyes were full of disappointment and grief, a marked change from his usual cheerful disposition. 

"Thanks," Lorne said to the person on the other end.

He flipped his cell phone closed, set it on his desk, and sighed heavily, giving Buffy an anguished glance. "Sorry, Buffy. It was a good one though."

"Not good enough," Buffy murmured morosely. She did not fancy breaking the news to the rest of her gang, but she knew she would have to do it sooner or later. They would find out soon enough anyway and perhaps it was better that they heard it from her.

Lorne felt the need to console the young woman sitting across from him, but he was at a loss of how to do it. He did not think she would appreciate a song or uplifting musical number at the moment. He watched solemnly as the Slayer arose from her seat, her jaded blue-green eyes sweeping over him tiredly before she turned away. She paused at the doorway to his office just briefly to mutter her gratitude for his help before slowly ambling out of sight. He could have sworn her walk was that of an old woman, not that of a vibrant young woman in her early twenties.

Lorne dropped his head into his hands and let loose a steady stream of every swear word imaginable—a few in his own native language from Pylea. He had really hoped his contacts would come through with him like they had on every miniscule little task he had set them. Now, when it really mattered, they had come short of success. In all rationality, he could not blame them for their failure; his head kept reminding him about that. His emotions were another story and were currently screaming for the normally gentle-hearted demon to punish someone. After all, someone would have to pay for the losses of Hermione, Jordan, and the other eleven Slayer-witches he had never met.

* * *

Buffy found her friends in Angel's own private quarters of Wolfram and Hart. Dawn was nestled up against Xander, softly snoozing in a peaceful slumber. Willow was sitting on the floor in front of the unlit fireplace, attempting for another locating spell for the thousandth time in a vain hope of it actually being successful if repeated again and again. They were the only three in the room besides Buffy, who had just entered it. She didn't bother announcing her presence, as Xander and Willow had instantly turned around at the sound of her footsteps. 

Their expressions of hope made Buffy's insides squirm unpleasantly. She spoke up before either of her best friends could say anything. "Don't bother waking Dawn. The lead was a dud. Like everything else."

"Shit," Xander mumbled, rubbing at his sleep-starved eyes.

Willow abandoned her fruitless locating spell to sit beside her best friend and wrap an arm around her shoulder. Buffy flicked her eyes in Xander's direction before gazing at her sleeping sister. She was relieved the girl had finally succumbed to her exhaustion.

"When did she nod off?" Buffy inquired, feeling as if she could sleep for a few millennia herself.

Xander glanced at Dawn with a fond ghost of a smile. "'Bout fifteen minutes ago. Not sleeping for fifty hours straight has that effect on you."

"And a good dosage of belladonna," Willow added dryly.

Buffy was not disturbed at the fact that her best friend had drugged her younger sister so the girl could obtain some much needed rest. She was seriously thinking about slipping some of the sedative into her own drinks. But she could not sleep until they were sure of the fates of the abducted thirteen girls. She would not sleep until they either brought them back alive or brought them back to bury…no matter how long it took.

* * *

Aidan surveyed the opulent but sinister surroundings inside the parlor of Malfoy Manor; his bloodshot eyes were darting around the place like his nerves were on fire. His hands clutched at a silver goblet filled with swirling amber-colored liquid—firewhiskey. He knew he really should not be drinking in this condition, especially when it could have a rather detrimental reaction when mixed with the sleeping draughts probably still hibernating in his bloodstream. However, when Draco Malfoy had offered the drink—obviously figuring he could use one—the boy found he could not resist. 

He had just finished telling Draco everything that had happened in the past few days. Judging by the boy's reactions from everything so far, Aidan was having trouble pegging him for a suspect. In fact, he was seriously beginning to doubt the Slytherin had anything to do with it at all. Malfoy had seemed genuinely shocked and, dare he think it, _troubled_ by the news.

After dissolving the barrier trapping Aidan in the fireplace, Draco had carefully issued instructions for the Firewell boy to slowly step out and to not make any sudden movements; he had kept his wand firmly aimed at his chest, fully prepared to hex him in defense. It had been extremely annoying, but Aidan would have done the same, if not more, had he been in Draco's position. The boy had every reason to be wary of him and no reason at all to trust him.

Immediately after Aidan had told Draco about his sister's, Hermione's (even though he knew there was no friendliness between the Muggle-born and the Malfoy heir), and eleven other Slayer-witch's predicaments, the boy had clasped his hands together on the desk he was sitting at. His face had lost quite a bit of color, his forehead was creased with frown lines, and his silver-blue eyes were gazing into something Aidan could not see—something faraway. The boy gave all pretense of one deep in thought, which Aidan had learnt he had been. It was only when Draco had begun to pace in agitation that Aidan began to really doubt the boy's involvement. Was it possible the scornful son of a Death Eater really cared for his sister? Normally, Aidan would give anything for it to be untrue, but in this case, he was fervently hoping his suspicions were correct. It wasn't like Malfoy would risk his neck trying to help Hermione, after all.

"Malfoy? What are you doing?" Aidan finally asked, feeling his impatience begin to resurface.

Draco halted in his carpet-wearing mission to glance at the American boy in annoyance at interrupting his train of thought. What he had been doing was trying to recall every single conversation his father had ever had with him that dwelt on the topic of the Dark Lord's dirty deeds. He replayed those stale memories over and over in his mind, trying to draw some key details out so he could form a clear deduction on if it had been Voldemort who had abducted the girls.

The way his father had spoken and from what Draco had read in accounts, Voldemort liked to boast and parade his conquests in front of his enemies like trophies, just to flaunt his power and superiority. If he had abducted those girls and systematically slaughtered them all—just thinking about it made Draco feel like throwing up—he would definitely have wanted the bodies to be found. Of course, there were thirteen girls and it had only been a little over three days since the abduction of Jordan and Hermione. But then, Draco thought Voldemort would have disposed of them one at a time and immediately after the murder—just for the sake of keeping the corpse fresh. It would be a form of taunting the opposing force and demolishing their morale, one Slayer-witch at a time. Voldemort was the master at weakening the spirit of his foes.

Another possibility was that the Dark Lord was keeping them to torture them past the brink of insanity only to return them after he had successively driven them out of their minds. That would also be a serious blow to Dumbledore's cause.

Draco knew that the dementor force at Azkaban was slowly dwindling, most likely being called by Voldemort. Soon, the Ministry would have to do something about the entire lot if they did not want the Dark Lord to gain such formidable allies. He often wondered why they had not done something about it beforehand, but he really had not cared what either side was doing at the moment.

If Voldemort had dementors at his beck and call, he could be using the foul creatures against the Slayer-witches. Draco cringed at the very notion of it and was hard put not to sink to his knees. The Dementor's Kiss was a fate worse than death; a body would live on as a shell of its former life, the soul and everything that made a person who he or she was having been sucked out. Out of all the possibilities, Draco hoped this one was the least likely. He would much rather they find Jordan dead than a soulless shell. He had a feeling her family would feel the same.

"Malfoy," Aidan repeated, louder and firmer this time.

"Firewell, shut up! I'm trying to think!" Draco snapped irritably.

"Well think faster! Every second we sit here is another second of Jordan's life gone," Aidan growled, his angry tone masking his anguish.

Draco's eyes narrowed on Aidan, questioning and suspicious. He inquired in a low, sharp voice, "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean? Don't you think I know that, you stupid git?"

Aidan clenched his teeth at the insult, but forced himself to think of his sister. Getting into a tussle with the aggravating Slytherin would not help her in anyway. "You don't understand, Malfoy. She's really sick."

Draco frowned in confusion, not comprehending. "What?"

Aidan sighed impatiently. "The day before Christmas vacation you found her in the hallway. Didn't she look a little out of sorts to you? You had to lead her to Gryffindor Tower, didn't you?"

Draco remembered that day in every single detail, especially when he had held onto her arm. It was the day the two had been practically civil with one another. He knew she had not looked well, but he had not thought it was anything really serious. She was a Slayer; they were supposed to have excellent immune systems.

"Well, it only got worse. On the day she was taken her temperature was up to 103 degrees and she didn't get any medicines before she was taken. And when I woke up earlier, before I came here, I felt…I felt like I was drowning. It was like something was pressing on my chest and impeding my breathing. I think she's caught pneumonia too."

Draco was now extremely confused by all this. If Aidan had been the one having trouble breathing, then why was he attributing it to being Jordan's problem? "Come off it, Firewell. You can't possibly know that."

Aidan nodded his head gravely. "She's slipping away, Malfoy. I can feel it." He raised one hand to rest on his chest, closing his eyes.

Draco frowned. "You…can feel it?" he asked skeptically.

Aidan's voice sounded eerily hollow when he spoke. "Jordan and I are twins, Malfoy. We spent nine months side-by-side inside our mother's womb—the womb of a witch. We may not be identical twins, but our link is probably just as strong. Our father is an identical twin, but our mother is a fraternal twin like we are—she had a twin brother. Twins run heavily on my mother's and father's sides. The Firewell line shows more evidence of the mystical connection than the Cordreux line mostly because the Firewell line isn't mixed with pure Muggle blood—And don't you dare start belittling my mother's heritage. — My grandmother always told us it was a throwback from ancient Irish fey ancestors or something like that. But I've heard of other magical twins with strong links not related to us, so I think it's just a matter on how close the twin siblings are."

Draco blinked, still a tad perplexed. "So…you can read each other's minds or something?"

Aidan shook his head. "No. It's really more of an emotional connection. We can tell when the other's in danger and when one of us feeling a particularly strong emotion…it spills over and is transmitted to the other. And…well, even if we're far away from each other, we can still feel the other's presence inside. It's hard to explain really, but I would know it if she died."

Draco shook his head at the revelation. "That's…well…it's slightly disturbing, Firewell." His head then snapped up. "Wait a minute! You know for certain she's still alive?" He cursed himself for not keeping his voice neutral as a note of relief slipped into it.

"Yes, but she's very weak," Aidan clarified, his voice cracking. "I'm going to keep hoping that if she's alive, the others are too. Not that you may care."

Draco bristled indignantly at that remark. True, he did not like Granger and the fact that she had outscored him in every damned class at Hogwarts didn't help her case. And he was still inclined, as a matter of genetics and the way he had been reared, to look down his nose upon all those of Muggle birth. Generally, it was not a personal matter; it was a matter of principle. With Hermione Granger, it tended to get a bit personal. He didn't like Granger because she was smarter and more powerful than him in spite of having no magical heritage. And he didn't like her because she was a close friend of Harry Potter's—another one he was required to hate on principle. He also didn't like her because of that really painful right hook she had hefted at him in their third year, which had injured both his nose and his pride.

No, he didn't like Hermione Granger at all. His hatred of her had probably cooled to keen dislike now that his father was in Azkaban. He no longer had to work so hard at perfecting his reputation of sneering, arrogant Pureblood giving all the Mudbloods hell now that his father was off his back. He did occasionally scorn them out of habit, but his heart was no longer in it. Draco had far more worrying issues to take up his free time—first and foremost was the ultimate decision of becoming a Death Eater like his father before him. He balked at the thought of doing the things Voldemort commanded of his servants, but he also balked at the thought of dying because he refused. Needless to say, it was a rather difficult decision to make.

"Don't presume to know what I may or may not care about, Firewell," Draco hissed testily. "I may not like Granger, but I never said I wanted her dead. Yeah, a couple of times I might express that wish and, _occasionally_, I might actually mean it, but not right now. She hasn't been quite as annoying lately. As for the other eleven, I don't know them and therefore have nothing against them yet."

Aidan was silent at the boy's retort, but gave no apology for his presumption. Draco huffed again in righteous anger and stomped off to recommence his pacing. The auburn-haired boy sitting on the couch watched him intently, wondering over the enigma that was Draco Malfoy. This boy obviously had some complex issues roiling around inside him. He had noticed the Slytherin had not been hurling invectives on Harry, Ron, and Hermione as much as he had originally predicted he would.

Harry had even commented on Malfoy's loss of interest in tormenting him and his friends in surprise. _He_ had merely attributed it to Lucius Malfoy being safely ensconced in Azkaban where his son could not use him to parade his power or go running to every time he encountered a counterattack. Aidan had to agree with Harry on Malfoy's father being in Azkaban having something to do with his change of attitude. But he believed it was something else that had caused Malfoy to all but cease his harassment of the Golden Trio; it was something to do with his father, but not in the way Harry spoke of it. If only Aidan could figure out what it was.

"Let's see," he heard Draco mutter. It sounded more like he was talking to himself than to Aidan. "If Jordan at least is alive, then he's probably going to use her for something…and the others. They're Slayer-witches; they've got a lot of power and they're rather unique—rare. No, he wouldn't kill them. He would try to harvest their powers or something…or use them against you lot. Probably put them under the Imperious Curse."

"No, he wouldn't be able to do that," Aidan interjected.

Draco's head snapped towards him and he frowned. "Why not?"

"Few weeks back, Mad-Eye Moody had all the Slayers at Hogwarts undergo the Imperious Curse so they could feel what it was like. Totally ineffective; they all managed to throw it off completely without even trying. The Slayers…they have some kind of natural defense against our type of magic. I'd bet a sack of galleons it takes more than one stunner to knock one out, but they haven't experimented with that yet. They probably should get on that. I'm guessing a number of other jinxes and hexes wouldn't work on the first try either, but they always manage to dodge them. Can't remember one getting hit," Aidan told him.

"Hmmm," Draco murmured, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I'm sure _he_ could find some way to break down their defenses or weaken them to make it easier. The Imperious Curse is more about the strength of the mind, not the strength of the body. Or he could just keep hitting them with it to increase the effectiveness…unless that decreases the effectiveness by chance."

Aidan sighed. "I don't know, Malfoy. Maybe." He just didn't want to believe it, really.

"That's probably what he is doing, you know. He's probably trying to break their minds to make them easier to control. I suppose once he breaks their minds, their natural defense against the Imperious Curse won't be as strong. Think about what an advantage Slayer-witches would be, especially if they have all those fancy inherent immunities or whatever to our magic," Malfoy said grimly.

"Thank you, Malfoy. That was just what I wanted to—What the?" Aidan halted mid-sentence, his face suddenly contorting into a bizarre expression.

Draco was taken aback by this behavior. "Erm…Firewell? What's wrong?"

Aidan swiftly held a finger up to silence his companion as his honey eyes became strangely unfocused. He held his hand over his heart, goggling over these strange sensations he was sensing. The sensation he felt that belonged to Jordan, the one that forever resided inside him like a constant Muggle heart monitor was suddenly becoming stronger. Soon, it was back to its normal intensity, which could mean only one thing…

"It's Jordan," Aidan breathed in awe.

Alarm crossed Draco's features. "Is she okay?"

Aidan looked up at Draco as if noticing him for the first time. He smiled. "She's…better."

Raising an eyebrow quizzically, Draco said, "She's better? What, you mean she's not ill anymore?"

Aidan shook his head wordlessly, still marveling at it all. "It's like she's totally recovered. I mean, she is totally recovered! Unless my feelings are deceiving me. I felt her health return…and her strength."

Draco turned his gaze away from the excited boy and said quietly, "Right. Let's hope you're not wrong on that."

**-See, I was going to end it there, but because I'm soooo nice, I'll not force you to waste energy hitting the next chapter button. Plus, there isn't much more to write in for this part and making another chapter seemed wasteful.-**

Forty-five minutes had passed since the revelation of Jordan's returned health—Draco still wasn't clear on this connection rubbish. Aidan was now the one pacing back in forth in agitation and Draco was the one sitting on the couch, nursing a goblet of firewhiskey. He had already sent missives to some of his Slytherin classmates to ask if they or their families had planned or done anything for the Dark Lord lately. He had made it seem like he was impressed by their loyalty or simply curious so he wouldn't raise suspicion. Luckily, most of his housemates were too thick to figure out their prince was wavering on their long-held beliefs. Those that _were_ clever enough to figure it out—and they were few in number—were foolish enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. And they were all being extra sympathetic about the whole business with his father's incarceration. That afforded him a good bit of leeway.

There wasn't much else they could do now save sit and wait for the responses that could hopefully shed some light in the darkness and point them in the right direction. Aidan did not appear to be intent on leaving anytime soon. Draco actually didn't mind his company so much; he would be spending a lot of his time without it, especially during summer holiday. Plus, it was rather amusing to watch the tall boy pause mid-stride and mutter to himself like he was a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"Relax, Firewell. There's not much else we can do right now. If Jordan's all better like you say she is then maybe she'll be able to escape," Draco pointed out sensibly.

"I'd wish your stupid friends would hurry up with those responses!" Aidan fired back.

"Well, you could just floo to their homes and get yourself trapped in another fireplace if you really want to. I doubt they'll be telling you stuff about your sister, but you'll get a response," Draco drawled sardonically, taking another swig of liquor.

Aidan's comeback was interrupted by a popping sound, causing both boys to jump and grab for their wands. Aidan was the first to lower his and breathe a sigh of relief when he saw it was just his phoenix Jinx. Draco still kept his wand aimed at her, gripping it tightly.

"Is that Dumbledore's bird?" he asked.

"No," Aidan replied, stretching his arm out for the phoenix to perch on it. He brought her close to nuzzle her, which she rewarded with nuzzling of her own. "Hey, girl. Missing Jordan, are you?"

Draco's jaw nearly hit the floor. "It's your bird?"

Aidan rolled his eyes and looked up at Draco. "Firstly, she's a she, not an it. Secondly, she's a phoenix, not just a bird. And she's less of a pet and more of a feathered companion. I think they're too intelligent to refer to as 'pets'."

Draco narrowed his eyes at the golden chain hanging off the creature's neck. Was it some sort of weird collar? "What's that on her neck?"

Aidan frowned. "What's what?" When he saw Draco point, he looked down and noticed the golden chain wound around the phoenix's neck. He grabbed the charm that was hanging off her neck and brought it up to inspect it. He gasped when he noticed it was his sister's own phoenix charm. She hadn't been wearing it when she got abducted; they had found it on her desk.

"Jinx, why are you wearing Jordan's necklace?" Aidan inquired, as if she would answer him.

Draco's eyes lit up and he strode forward to grab the necklace. "Maybe Jordan's given it to her! The phoenix probably found her!"

Aidan appreciated the boy's excitement at the thought and he really hated to burst his bubble. "That would be great, Malfoy, if Jordan had been wearing the necklace when she had gotten abducted. It was still on her desk."

It was like watching a balloon deflate as Draco's excitement shrunk into disappointment. "Oh. Then why did she bring it to you?"

"I don't know," Aidan said.

Jinx leapt off his arm to land on the couch, both boys following her movement. She started to do an odd sort of wriggling motion, tipping her longish neck forward and shaking her tail feathers. She then looked back up at them and it almost looked as if she was glaring at them. She made an odd squawking sound to voice her displeasure at whatever it was they were doing—or not doing.

"Is this…erm…normal behavior for her?" Draco queried in amusement.

Aidan shook his head in wonderment. "No. This is not."

Jinx darted forward to nip at Aidan, who jumped back to avoid it. "Jinx! Jesus, what's gotten into you?" She darted forward again and grabbed his shirt, pulling him toward her.

"What is wrong with you!" Aidan bellowed.

Draco could not help but snigger at the spectacle, but his laughter soon disappeared when Jinx turned on him as well. She gave him a wary appraisal, practically tiptoed towards him, and then lunged to grab his robes. Draco yelped and instantly reeled back.

"Get off me!" he shouted.

"Who's laughing now, asshole?" Aidan retorted hotly.

If Jinx could have cursed in frustration she certainly would have, as the two thick human males remained oblivious to what she wanted of them. She performed the wriggling dance again before the platinum-haired one gasped in realization.

"I see! She wants us to take the necklace off!" Draco exclaimed. He shot a smug smirk at Aidan before reaching over to lift the necklace off her neck. Jinx trilled softly in gratitude.

"Now what are we supposed to do with it? Wear it?" Aidan asked.

"I dunno." Draco shrugged, scrutinizing the necklace. "Are you sure your sister hadn't been wearing this?"

Aidan nodded absently. "Damn it! I need Hermione—this is her area. Well, everything's her area, but this is one of her strongest."

For the first time in memory, Draco wished Granger were around too. What did the bloody bird want from them?

Jinx seemed to be growing desperate in her actions after a while, squawking at them like a chicken (an odd sound coming from a majestic bird like the phoenix) and dancing and fluttering around in a frenzy of agitation. It was especially odd how she kept nipping at their hands, which were grasping onto their wands. Both gentlemen were beginning to seriously regret drinking that firewhiskey by now, as it was preventing their normally sharp minds from making the intuitive leap that was required.

"Hold up! Phoenixes can Apparate and Disapparate at will, right? I mean, she got past my wards and everything. So, I'd wager they aren't tied down by our weaknesses," Draco began, understanding beginning to develop.

Aidan's eyes flashed when he followed Draco's train of thought. "So, that means she could probably get past the barriers that were keeping out the locating spells and the scrying spells from finding the girls! I'll bet wherever they're being kept there are anti-Apparition wards as well."

"Which is nothing for a phoenix," Draco added.

Aidan could barely contain himself. He kneeled down to Jinx's level on the couch and asked, "Did you find Jordan and the other girls, Jinxy?"

The phoenix almost sighed in relief that the idiot had finally figured it out. She was gravely disappointed in her human companion. She gave a curt nod.

Aidan jumped nearly a foot in the air and gave a whoop of triumph. "Are they okay? Is Jordan okay?"

Another curt nod and then she swiveled her head towards Draco, who still held the necklace. Aidan followed her movement and frowned in puzzlement. "Necklace, necklace, necklace. She brought it to us for a reason."

"Well, obviously," Draco drawled. He brought it up to study again, thinking he might have missed something. Finally, the intuitive leap was taken, however belatedly.

"Merlin, we're fucking half-wits, Firewell!" Draco shouted. "She wants us to turn it into a bloody portkey so she can Apparate back to where your sister and the rest are and they can use it to get out of there."

Aidan could not believe how incredibly dense he had been. He glared back at the empty goblet, which had previously held firewhiskey, like it was that object's entire fault. He frowned when a troubling thought entered his mind. "What if the portkey doesn't work there?"

Draco shrugged while laying the necklace down to charm and pointing his wand out it. He muttered, "_Portus_," and then put it back around Jinx's neck. "It's worth a try."

"Wow, you're smart, Jinx," Aidan remarked in admiration.

The phoenix emitted a sound that sounded like an incredibly avian version of "Duh!" to Draco and Aidan. She then Disapparated with a POP!

"We're such asses," Aidan muttered.

"No, you're the arse. I'm the one who actually figured it out. Although, it's not bad considering we're both half pissed from the firewhiskey. I feel strangely accomplished," Draco remarked, sitting back on the couch and stretching out.

A minute later, six girls literally crashed into the parlor of Malfoy Manor, falling over as their feet hit solid ground. All looked extremely filthy, smelled quite horrible, and were shivering quite violently. Five were actually shivering violently, as one of them was unconscious. Aidan quickly searched the group for a familiar auburn-haired girl. He was not disappointed when he saw his sister rise. She stood up shakily; she looked much the same as she had when returning from Sunnydale: smudged with dirt, hair all matted and greasy, clothes ripped, and there was blood coating her neck. Her pants looked different from what he remembered and her teeth were chattering fiercely.

She threw her brother an irate glare and sputtered, "God, Aidan! What took you so goddamned long? Another couple of minutes and we all would have frozen to death!"

* * *

Right, I brought Percy back into the fold simply for Mrs. Weasley's sake. I figured she would be happier with her entire family all together and that. 

Thank you very much to the following: **Saxifrage**, **Masau, FScan5001, COPPA Restricted, Pottersgurl07, matt, oOoOoOo, gpilot96, sierra, Sterling-Ag, Aoi Dragon, Panther28, Raiining, Chris-Halliwell, Vld **(I'll go back and make the necessary corrections. Thank you! Could I send future stuff like that to you in the future? I would appreciate the help!), **slaygal166**, and **Charmed-angel4.**

Thanks again to **thefirstphoenix** for emailing me as well.

IMPORTANT: Because I'm insanely paranoid about giving away spoilers about HBP, I won't be saying anything directly related to it here for a long while, even in review responses. If you have questions, then email them to me so we don't spoil it for anyone who hasn't had the chance to read the fantastic book. And since I started this way before I heard about HBP, this is, obviously, an AU Sixth-Year. I've already fashioned my plot and can't be bothered to change it. GOES AU after OotP. There, I think I made that clear enough.


	35. Chapter Thirtyfive

Happy Thanksgiving! Though I know us Yanks are the only ones who celebrate it, I wish it to everyone else too. I know, I know, it's been nearly four months since my last update. I'm sorry about that. I've been suffering a lack of ideas. I have the general ideas planned out, just not the details. Plus, I've been worrying about other things, namely figuring out where to go to college or whether to join the Navy or not.

Sorry I didn't get this out to **Vld** for translations and **thefirstphoenix **for beta-ing. I just wanted to get this posted before I leave for shopping…Black Friday and all.

Thank you **Vld** for the translations! You rock! And yes, Monique has had a fairly normal upbringing (for wizarding standards, anyway) so this is perfect.

* * *

Hermione fancied the icy cold was permanently entrenched within her body, clinging forever onto her bones even if she were to be dumped into a vat of boiling water. She still lay on the carpeted floor, clutching the unconscious blonde Slayer-witch to herself protectively. Her arms were wrapped around the thin girl and her hands were entwined with each other. Her body was still racked with violent shivering spasms, as were the four companions crumpled on the floor around her. She did not want to move; she did not want to speak; she did not want to do anything at the moment as exhaustion unlike anything she had ever felt beset her. All the adrenaline from her fear and flight from the dungeons and the mad vampiress that probably still dwelt inside were now diminishing to leave in their place a relieved but dazed fatigue. 

Her unruly curls covered her face, but she could not find the energy at the moment to remove them. All she could concentrate on was willing her body to lose its icy numbness and allow the warmth of wherever she was to bring sensation back to her near-frozen limbs. Her teeth were clenched tightly against each other and her jaw ached from the constant chattering spasms.

While they had waited for Jinx to return with some form of deliverance, the five conscious Slayer-witches had huddled together out of necessity—they had held the unconscious one in the center, giving her the most warmth and support. The collective warmth of each individual body all amassed together had kept hypothermia at bay, but it would not last long if the winter winds kept assailing them with such ferocity. The winds had increased their speed and strength almost exponentially, it appeared, when Jinx first Disapparated. They had not really been waiting for very long—probably ten to fifteen minutes at the most. But in temperatures so low with a wind chill factor that only exacerbated the problem, even five minutes without proper winter-wear or a hot fire was too long. The girls had been too cold to even dance with joy when Jinx finally reappeared after a perceived eternity. They had wasted no time grasping onto the necklace that was to be their salvation.

When Jordan had acknowledged Aidan's presence with her slightly brassy remark on his slowness, Hermione almost cried from overwhelming relief. It only made sense that Jinx would have gone to Aidan. He was the only other human she knew of (aside from Jordan) that had bonded with the creature. If Aidan was there, then she knew they were safe. She did not even care where they were. Anywhere other than that cold hovel of death from which she had just escaped was fine with her.

That is, it was fine with her until she heard the next words.

"Weren't there supposed to be thirteen of you lot?"

_No…it can't be._

The familiar voice and its common air of imperiousness caused Hermione's blood to freeze all over again—this time not from extreme cold. The energy brought on by anger and shock usurped her weariness. She forced herself into a sitting position, gently pushing the inert girl in her arms over to the confounded Monique. She kept hoping that her ears had been deceiving her. Surely her eyes would not see the person who had spoken those words; a person she believed to be apart of the whole scheme.

"_What's the matter, Granger? Scared?"_

Though those words seared into her memory had been spoken with Jordan's voice, the disdainful, caustic tone of arrogance and hatred was not hers. Jordan never talked to anyone like that, unless she was playfully impersonating a Slytherin.

_A Slytherin._

Hermione should have automatically sensed—especially now that she was a Slayer—it had not been Jordan whom she had been following so foolishly into the forest. Her fingernails cut into the fleshy palms of her hand as her fists compressed tightly, the remembered words from the event eroding her control. She recalled her feelings of desolate helplessness, being trapped in that dank cell, watching her friend's life slowly slip away right before her eyes, and those vampire guards ruthlessly sneering at her and snatching the sickly Jordan from her arms. Her brown eyes darkened with unbridled rage.

"_Wish I could stay and watch that vampire torture the Mudblood bitch."_

Without any warning, Hermione sprang to her feet and lunged at Malfoy. She had inadvertently pushed Jordan aside in the process, causing the startled girl to collapse on the couch with a shocked cry. Luiza, Jill, and Monique (with the blonde girl in her arms) rose to their feet when they saw their unofficial leader, one of their rescuers, tackle the blonde boy. Their frantic eyes turned to the stunned Jordan, who was still spread-eagled on the sofa. They were unsure of what to do. They could not decide if they should assist Hermione or stop her.

"Hermione! What are you doing!" Aidan exclaimed. His initial state of relieved speechlessness (and immobility) was shaken out of him by the bookish witch's unanticipated act.

Hermione had Malfoy pinned beneath her, while the boy flailed and struggled desperately. Though he seemed to put up quite an effort, his strength quailed in comparison to that of a Slayer in her prime. Hermione's brown eyes were tainted with wild anguish and anger at what she had suffered, what she had suffered because of him—or so she believed. Normally, the clever Gryffindor would never entertain such a notion as attacking first and asking questions later. She set much store by planning ahead and thinking things through carefully before acting. She rarely acted on her whims—at least, she rarely acted on her whims physically. With the verbal whims she exercised a lot less restraint. Acting on impulse was something her boyfriend, Jordan, or even Harry (whenever he was caught in the throes of rage) would do. The last time she had honestly done something on a whim was when she had lost her temper at Malfoy and punched him right in the face.

"You bastard! It's your entire fault! You slimy son of a bitch! You led me into that trap! You let them take me!" The seldom-used curse words and accusations fell from her mouth so easily; very easily for someone who did not make a habit of uttering them. She had her strong hands wrapped tightly around Malfoy's throat, squeezing so hard his face was turning blue. Tears of fury spilled from her feral eyes. Recollections of what she had went through, what she had felt, the screams she had heard from the ill-fated Slayer-witches who had been first on Drusilla's list fueled her fire.

She tightened her grip. Malfoy was beginning to lose consciousness.

"_What's the matter, Granger? Scared?"_

"_Wish I could stay and watch that vampire torture the Mudblood bitch."_

"…_my lucky thirteen…"_

Hermione was drowning in the deluge of memories that veiled her from the reality of what she was doing: Jordan's breathing getting shallower and her coughs becoming more violent; the screams of the victims being tortured; all those years of school in which she was forced to endure his torment of name-calling, taunting, and even worse.

"They're dead because of you!" she screamed in anguish.

"Hermione, stop! You're choking him!" Aidan shouted. He had run to the Slytherin boy's aid, though he knew it would be useless to try and pull a Slayer off of him. All he could do was appeal to Hermione's sanity and hope he could scream some sense into her before she really did choke Malfoy to death. He did not like the boy very much—though he viewed him in a much better light now than what he had before—but he did not want him to die. And he certainly did not want him to die at the hands of one of his own friends. Were Hermione to ever come to her senses and realize what she had done, she would never forgive herself. In her right mind, the girl was not, and never would be, a murderer.

"Jordan, help me!" he screamed hoarsely. He grabbed Hermione's shoulders and tugged uselessly.

Jordan sat stock-still and stunned on the sofa, not believing a whit of what she was seeing. That could not be Hermione straddling Malfoy and choking the life out of him. She must either be dead, still in her feverish coma, or she must just be hallucinating from post-traumatic shock syndrome or something. She could not even force her eyes to blink away this bizarre and horrifying scene nor could she make her jaw shut. Her treacherous motor skills must have decided to seize an opportunity of temporary hiatus, one that was unsanctioned by the head office.

"Jordan!" Aidan called out again; desperation tinged his voice.

Her brother's frantic plea snapped the frozen girl back to unwelcome reality. She gasped, as if she were only just witnessing what was happening, and leapt to her feet.

"Hermione! Stop it!" she cried, wrapping her arms around the girl's midsection.

Where Aidan had failed, Jordan had succeeded—most fortunately for Malfoy. Since Jordan had eight more years of rigorous physical training and greater field experience, she was physically stronger than Hermione. Nevertheless, it had taken nearly all her strength to drag the mad girl off and keep her from trying to lunge back at Malfoy again. She had to call on one of the other Slayer-witches for assistance in calming Hermione down and keeping hold of her until she calmed down. Monique was the only other one brave enough to venture towards the struggling pair.

_"Qu'est-ce qui lui arrive?"_ Monique cried, fear evident in her dark eyes.

"Hell if I know," Jordan replied in a strained voice. She had not noticed she had spoken in English instead of French. She was too busy trying to keep a hold of Hermione, who was thrashing about like a wild animal.

"Let me go! It's his fault! He'll do it again!" she bellowed.

"Hermione! Calm down! Christ, what's gotten into you?" Jordan was becoming desperate for a way to get through to her friend. After all, it was not like she could hold onto her forever. She finally settled on the only technique she could think of at the moment. It wasn't a tactic she particularly cared for, but it would suit its purpose. Hopefully.

"Hold her, Monique!" Jordan ordered. When the French girl looked at her with uncomprehending alarm, Jordan reissued the order in French. The girl then nodded in understanding and wrapped her arms securely around Hermione.

_"Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire_?" Monique inquired fearfully.

Jordan tried to suppress the extreme reservations that were screaming their protests at what she was about to do. She only hoped her friend would understand. "Hermione, I'm really sorry for what I'm about to do. But you'll thank me for this later…maybe." _Or you'll just get even more pissed off. _

Taking a deep breath, Jordan raised her hand (which was shaking slightly in hesitation), and firmly struck Hermione across the right cheek with the back of it. She was not terribly skilled in judging the amount of force one should use to merely stun and the amount of force one should use to knock someone unconscious outright. She was hopeful only the former of the two had been used.

Immediately after the blow Hermione's body had sagged in Monique's arms, causing Jordan to cringe with guilt. The French Slayer-witch's eyes snapped up to Jordan in alarm, but then instantly swept back to Hermione once a small sob was heard. Jordan sighed audibly when she learnt she had not, in fact, just knocked her friend and classmate out.

"'_er-my-knee?_" Monique said cautiously, her dark eyes flitting to Jordan's.

Jordan motioned for the dark skinned girl to gently release her tight hold on Hermione. The wretched girl sank to the floor as the grip lessened, eventually dropping her head into her hands to weep uncontrollably. Her entire body trembled with sobs. Whether her weeping was of guilt and shame, or just plain grief, Jordan and Monique could not tell.

_"Qu'est-ce qu'on peut faire?" _Monique asked Jordan.

Before Jordan could answer, they heard soft, uncertain footsteps approach from behind. The girls turned to see their two comrades, timidly emerging from their frightened distance to see if they could help. Luiza's coal-black gaze and Jill's iridescent gray one mirrored each other's emotions: concern, puzzlement, and fear. They slowly knelt by their fellow Slayer-witches' sides.

"What's wrong with her?" Jill asked uncertainly.

Jordan looked at Hermione, sadness and compassion in her eyes. She reached out a hand to stroke her tangled brown locks. The disconsolate witch did not even acknowledge the other four's presence. She merely continued to weep with her hands hiding her face from them. For the first time that she could recall, Jordan wondered what had befallen her friend in their imprisonment while she, herself, had been trapped in her feverish dream world. Obviously, it must have been incredibly horrific to make the typically levelheaded Gryffindor act so violently. Strangely, it caused Jordan to be rather grateful for her illness. It had kept her blissfully unaware of her situation until right before their great escape.

"Stay with her for a minute, please?" Jordan requested. She rose to her feet. She still seemed to forget only one of her companions (not counting Hermione) spoke English.

Contradicting what Jordan had assumed, Luiza asked in a soft, concerned voice, "Did they do something to her in that place?" Her Castilian accent did little to hamper her clarity. In fact, it only made the words (as Romance Languages are wont to do) more attractive to the ear.

Jordan blinked in surprise, the seriousness of their current situation temporarily pushed aside. Although she was glad to hear that the girl spoke English, she was kind of annoyed no one pointed it out earlier.

"You can speak English," Jordan stated, frowning. "Why did you not mention this earlier?" She directed her pointed question to Luiza and Jill.

The two girls shrugged. "Slipped our minds, I guess," Jill remarked.

Had there not been other more substantial problems to take care of than language barriers, Jordan would have pressed the issue. As it was, she reiterated her request for them to stay and comfort Hermione; she had to see to the boy her friend had nearly strangled to death.

She quietly approached her brother and Malfoy, both of whom were seated on the floor. Aidan was inspecting the damage done to their host's throat and Malfoy was still dragging in wheezing breaths at a speedy rate. His silver-blue eyes were tinged with redness, while shock still clung to the boy's entire body.

"Are you alright?" she asked tentatively.

Draco shrugged Aidan off of him and tried to gather up his shattered pride before answering the absurd question the object of his unwilling affections had just asked. He could still feel the sensation of his windpipe being slowly crushed under the astonishing strength of Granger's hands. Whenever he shut his eyes, he could still picture the image of those chocolate brown eyes laden with rage, and overwhelming anguish and pain. He could still sense her filthy brown curls brushing up against his face as she bore down upon him in her enraged (and nearly fatal) paroxysm.

In all the years that he had known Granger, he had never expected her to ever lose all sense of control and just succumb to feral whims like that. Near the end of their third year, she had lost her temper with him and punched him; however, that episode had nothing on this one. The thought that he might have deserved it, as retribution for the cruel manner in which he had treated her, never actually entered his mind.

"Of course I'm not alright!" Draco spat, his voice scratchy and peppered with pauses for breath. "The crazy bint nearly crushed my throat!"

Jordan knelt down and gently lifted up his chin to see the redness and swelling, which would no doubt be the mottled colors of purplish-black within hours. Her sensitive ears could discern the trouble he was still having with breathing. She was honestly relieved he was not unconscious—or even worse, dead. Her relief, like her brother's, had less to do with any personal feelings toward Draco Malfoy and more to do with how it would affect Hermione. Even so, she certainly did not want him dead by anyone's hands. Had she had to put up with his taunts and verbal abuse for as long as Hermione, Ron, and Harry had, perhaps she might feel differently.

Actually, when Jordan pondered over it, their first meeting had really been the only time he had been unpleasant in his manner towards her. To tell the truth, that had not really been entirely his fault. She _had_ decked him right in the face and sent him flying. She could also not forget his help, whatever his motives had been, in guiding her back to her common room and making sure she got there safely. These buds of thought niggled at the edges of her conscience, but she had not the time for reflection at the moment.

Her eyes strayed over to the blonde girl upon the sofa, who was stirring a little bit. Those signs of movement bade Jordan to predict she would soon be waking up. It would probably be better for her if she were to wake up in an atmosphere that was not so edgy. But where should they go? Her first instinct was to take them all, Draco included, to her home. Her grandmother—who was a mediwitch—could take care of them. She glanced at Aidan, who was suddenly looking at her strangely.

"What?" she asked.

Before she could do anything, she was engulfed in her brother's near-crushing embrace. She was taken aback for a moment, but then relaxed and patted his back. His body warmth spread to her limbs and renewed the safe, secured feeling she normally felt when in the arms of a family member. To think that luxury had almost been denied to her forever made her shiver disagreeably.

Aidan pulled back eventually, becoming more aware of the time. Malfoy and the girls would need medical attention and the girls really could use some decent baths. Nonetheless, he was not moving an inch from where he stood until he was certain this was real and not some twisted half-dream, half-nightmare. He looked his sister directly in those eyes that reflected his own; his hands clenched onto her shoulders tightly. When his sister uttered his name again, he knew for sure that she was alive and unharmed—well, mostly unharmed.

"Don't ever do anything like that to me again! Remember how Mom was when Uncle Nick died? Did you want to put me through that?" Aidan yelled.

"I'm…sorry?" Jordan stammered. She wasn't sure whether he was actually angry with her or just finally releasing all his painful relief.

"God, Jordan. You scared the hell outta me. I could feel you dying," he told her, his voice cracking.

Jordan's face softened and she grasped one of Aidan's hands and squeezed it, assuring him that she was now healthy and alive.

"I'm here now. And I'm fine," she intoned seriously. Unwarranted, guilt crept into her gut, though she knew it had no business being there. It had not been her fault she had been abducted and—well, it might have been partly her fault she got so ill. Even so, the memory of how her mother had nearly lost herself in grief when her own twin brother had died was still overpowering, especially during a time like this. She could only imagine how she would be acting were her brother's and her positions reversed. If anything, Jordan would have handled it even worse than Aidan had.

She sighed dejectedly when she let her gaze stray to the huddled forms of Luiza, Jill, and Monique. The three girls were blocking Hermione from view, though it was not necessary for Jordan to see her friend to know what she was doing. Thinking that it could have easily been her in Hermione's place—sobbing, shaking, and nearly committing homicide—made Jordan feel queasy and oddly grateful once again.

Her eyes still glued to the girls, she murmured to her brother in a humorless voice, "You know, Aidan, I'm thinking maybe it was a good thing I was unconscious during most of it. Ignorance is bliss."

And then, almost as if a light bulb had been lit above the girl's head, Jordan frowned and surveyed her surroundings for the first time. "Hey, where are we anyway?"

* * *

Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Care of Magical Creatures professor of Hogwarts, had never looked more shocked and speechless when several people suddenly materialized in front of him. At first, he immediately assumed it was an attack and drew his huge crossbow up in front of him. The weapon was already loaded with a giant, deadly bolt. 

A girl, her face shrouded by darkness, quickly darted forward with her hands outstretched, palms facing forward. "Hagrid! Don't shoot! It's us!" she cried.

Hagrid thought he recognized her voice (and he vaguely noticed her accent was American), which caused his finger to slightly recede from the trigger. However, recent events had increased his natural suspicions. He did not lower his weapon.

"Hagrid," the girl tried again, her tremulous tone betraying her nervousness. She slowly advanced forward, with her hands still stretched outwards to show him she was unarmed.

"Who are yeh? What business yeh got here? I warn yeh, take a step closer and I'll shoot!" he threatened.

The girl halted in her tracks, right at the same moment some moonlight peaked out from the clouds and illuminated her face. Hagrid gasped and dropped his weapon when he saw the pale, but very alive face of Jordan Firewell. She smiled nervously and took a deep, shaky breath of relief when she realized he recognized her.

"Jordan?" he asked. His black eyes suddenly widened with wild hope and he croaked, "Is Hermione with yeh?"

Jordan nodded. She gestured to her brother, who was supporting Hermione. The witch slowly raised her head, allowing Hagrid to see the dirty, tear-streaked cheeks set beneath the red-rimmed, dull brown eyes.

Hagrid practically plucked the girl from Aidan's arms and buried her in his massive arms. Tears spilled down the half-giant's scruffy cheeks as he blubbered in joy and relief at the return of one of his beloved students, and, more importantly, one of his friends.

"Thought I was never gonna see yeh again! Blimey, Hermione! Don' scare us like that again!" he sobbed.

Luiza, Jill, and Monique goggled at the sight of this gargantuan creature and his strange behavior. Luiza and Jill had never laid eyes upon a man so large and were more than a little terrified of him, despite his obviously being familiar to their two rescuers. Monique had an advantage over her two comrades. Her headmistress from school was easily as large as this man, so she was a little more prepared for the unusual sight.

"As sentimental as this is," Draco interrupted irritably, his voice still rather hoarse, "I'm freezing my arse off here!"

Hagrid didn't seem to acknowledge the oddness of Draco Malfoy's presence with these particular people. Either he didn't really notice it was Draco or he just didn't care. After a moment to collect himself, he quickly took the limp blonde girl Monique was carrying and tucked her in the crook of his elbow. He carried both her and Hermione back up to the castle, with the rest following behind.

Jordan quickened her pace to catch up with Hagrid's tremendously long strides, hugging her arms to herself in an effort to keep herself warm. Glancing up at Hagrid, she asked, "Um, how come our portkey didn't take us here?"

Hagrid did not answer, appearing to be far too absorbed in his relief for Hermione's safe return. Jordan would have asked again, but they had already entered into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. She immediately stopped in her tracks to engulf deep breaths of relief and happiness, pushing away the horrors of the past few hours to the back of her beleaguered mind. She shut her eyes, just standing in the midst of the large foyer to let the waves of the harmonious magic of Hogwarts wash over her. She almost imagined her aches and pains were dissipating on contact with the atmosphere of the school—as if the magic possessed an ethereal healing quality.

"Wow, so this is Hogwarts," Jill remarked in wonderment. Her bright eyes followed Hagrid's gigantic feet as they traversed the stone steps leading upward into a darkened hallway. Flickering torches lined the walls in iron brackets, casting spurts of illumination in the pervading darkness.

The sense of urgency to reach the hospital wing diminished slightly as the three girls who were not students at Hogwarts appraised their surroundings in awe. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was highly regarded by most of the wizarding world, though many also simultaneously nursed subtle jealous feelings toward it and its famous—and infamous for that matter—alumni. It was one of the oldest magic schools in the world, its ancient history palpable to all who walked its grounds by the very magic in the air.

"Yep," Jordan replied quietly, her eyes roaming all over the place as if she had not seen it for an eternity. "This is Hogwarts."

* * *

"Dawn! Sweetie, wake up!" Willow cried, shaking her best friend's sister roughly. 

Dawn groaned sleepily and pushed Willow away, turning over on her other side. Willow would have rather not disturbed the teenager from the peaceful sleep she had been lacking for so long, but in this case, she was certain an exception should be made.

The redheaded Wiccan practically lifted Dawn to a sitting position and commanded in a very loud voice, "Wake up!"

Dawn's eyes snapped open abruptly and she shrieked in surprise at the rude awakening. She struggled for a moment in Willow's arms before her brain fully awakened to reality. After a few moments to allow her breathing and heartbeat to return to normal, healthier speeds, she blinked away her unfocused vision.

"Willow?" she inquired groggily.

"Sweetie, we've had word from Hogwarts! Hermione and Jordan are back and they're alive!"

It took a moment for the information to process in Dawn's foggy brain before she gasped. Sitting up straighter, the girl asked in a hopeful voice, "Really? They're okay?"

Willow nodded, her thin lips curling into the most genuine smile anyone had seen for days. Dawn gave a half-squeal, half-sob of joy and threw her arms around the older woman. Tears of happiness spilled from her weary sapphire eyes and she chanted over and over in her mind, _Thank you! Thank you!_

Willow rubbed the girl's back and said, "Get ready. We're going to Hogwarts to see them."

* * *

Running the entire way to the hospital wing after arriving in Dumbledore's office was probably not the smartest thing to do. His lungs were burning with the need for more oxygen—which he was denying by pushing himself to go even faster. Considering how he had been starving himself for the past few days and how restless his sleep had been, he shouldn't have (physically) been able to move so quickly. Knowing his girlfriend was in the hospital wing, alive and in one piece after being abducted and suffering Merlin only knew what for three days was enough to make up for his lack of fuel. 

"Ron, for goodness sake! Slow down before you fall and break your neck!" his mother screeched behind him. However, she was certainly doing her best to keep up with him.

Ron nearly collapsed against the entrance to the hospital wing, but managed to stay on his feet as his hazel eyes frantically searched the all-too-familiar setting for a bushy-haired brunette. He almost panicked when he couldn't find her immediately through all the bustling witches and wizards there. Had it all been some kind of dream? A joke? His own miserable mind was now playing cruel tricks on him by taunting him with hopes that the girl he loved was safe? His heart thudded painfully in his chest when he considered the likelihood of such a thing.

"Hey, there's Ron." How he managed to pick that up amidst the din of voices and languages, he didn't know. He did know it sounded like Jordan, though. And he also knew odds were good that if Jordan was there, Hermione was close by.

His eyes found the source of the voice and he found his American classmate wrapped in a blanket and sitting on a bed in the farthest corner from the entrance. Her parents were sitting on either side of her, both of them crying and holding onto her arms. She looked thinner in the face and altogether less ample than was the norm for her build. Her hair was nothing but a filthy mat of tangled locks, obscuring her natural auburn shade.

In all seriousness, Ron liked Jordan. He considered her a friend in the short amount of time he had known her. And he really was glad she was okay. But where was Hermione?

"Ron, over there." Ron started in surprise when he felt someone touch his arm. He turned to see Aidan, smiling in understanding and pointing to the area across from Jordan. The curtains were drawn around the bed, which explained why Ron had not been able to spot her. Why was the curtain drawn? Was she hurt even worse than Ron had feared?

"Is…is she okay?" Ron asked Aidan.

Ron could have sworn he felt his heart plummet to the bottom of his shoes by the ambiguous expression on his friend's face. His throat became tight, constricting the passage of air to his already beleaguered lungs.

"Well, she's physically okay," Aidan managed to say. The odd look in his eyes was still there, scaring and annoying Ron at the same time.

Ron didn't wait to hear more; his imagination was already driving him crazy as it was. The last thing he needed was to add fuel to its fire. Using his long legs to his advantage, he strode to the bed where Hermione lay, his heart thumping loudly the entire way. He swallowed uncertainly before peaking around the curtains.

"'Mione," he breathed softly. He was so afraid of what he might find that only the second part of her name was spoken audibly.

The young witch was sitting up in her bed. Her face was turned away from the young man who spoke her name. Her curls hid the rest of her face, but Ron had no need to see her face to know she was crying. He could see the slight tremors of her shoulders beneath her white hospital gown. He could hear the sniffles she always made when she was weeping quietly.

As quietly as he could manage, Ron sat down on the bed.

"Hermione?" he asked, reaching out his hand. He wanted so badly to grab her and hold onto her for the rest of their lives, never once letting her go. However, after talking to Aidan, he restrained his urges and forced himself to wait for her to acknowledge him. She had been through so much he didn't quite know about; he certainly didn't want to make things worse.

Hermione's face suddenly materialized out of the haze of dirty brown locks. Her beautiful brown eyes were rimmed with red and swollen from crying. Tears had forged pathways through the dirt smudged on her otherwise pale cheeks. In spite of the fact that she had just escaped some quite possibly horrible fate, she looked like the entire world had come crashing down before her eyes. Something had happened to her during the time she was taken; something that did not, apparently, happen to the other girls.

The redhead looked across the room over to Jordan and her parents. The American Slayer-witch met his eyes and smiled slightly while waving. Her eyes then went over to Hermione; her expression melted into a frown of concern. Ron wondered if Jordan could provide any insight. For now, however, he just wanted to hold his girlfriend and give what comfort he could.

"Ron?" Hermione's voice sounded so broken, so small. He had never heard her sound as vulnerable as she was now. Nor had he ever seen her look like it.

"I'm here, love. You're safe now," Ron told her, his own voice threatening to crack from emotional overload.

Hermione emitted a sob and threw herself into her boyfriend's arms, burying her face in his chest. Ron did what he could to soothe her, rocking her back and forth and kissing her hair. Questions about whatever had happened to her could wait, he decided. For now, all he wanted to do was rejoice in her return and revel in the feeling of her beating heart right next to his own.

* * *

Buffy read over the information Andrew had diligently gathered on the girls who had been abducted. Her blue-green eyes were laden with exhaustion and anxiety, though some of the anxiety had recently been assuaged. She and Faith had been in the infirmary assessing the conditions of every girl and giving them words of comfort—albeit two of the times had to be through a translator. Now she was outside the infirmary and away from the noise in order to clear her head and plan on what to do next. She couldn't just drop everything and go to sleep because six girls had escaped from wherever they were being held. Thirteen girls had been taken. Only six returned. Buffy despised math precisely for these reasons. Arithmetic and reality were walking hand in hand to tell her seven girls were still currently missing in action. 

She was the leader of the Slayers—all the Slayers. She couldn't abandon these girls to their fates, not only because she had a duty as their commander, but also because she had a duty as a fellow human being and warrior. All but two of the girls who had been stolen away were still in school, ages ranging from fourteen to seventeen. One of the two who were adults was a beloved wife, and the mother of a six-month-old boy. The other was training to become a Healer so she could serve her fellow Slayers medically on the field.

She owed it to these girls to find them, or, at the very least, learn of their fates so she could give their families, and the world, some closure. However overjoyed she was that the two girls whom she had trained personally—not to mention that they were her sister's friends—were back, the search was not over.

"Got claustrophobic, love?"

Buffy's eyes flew from the pack of papers in her hand to the platinum-blonde man walking towards her. Spike came to a stop right in front of the Slayer. His baby blue eyes traveled down to the items in her hands and he frowned.

"I'm just reviewing over who we still need to find," she told him dolefully.

He nodded in understanding. He shifted his position to lean against the wall beside her, fishing in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Buffy didn't even bother to reprimand him for smoking inside the castle despite Dumbledore's rules. She had far more to worry about than Spike's habits.

Tilting her head back and closing her eyes, Buffy intoned morosely, "We still need to talk to those girls. We need them to tell us all they can remember. And I _so_ do not want to put them through that right now, but we don't have the luxury of time."

Spike sighed and blew a few smoky swirls out of his mouth. "If you have to question any of them, I'd go for Jordan. Not that I'm biased or anything, but she seems like she's the most stable at the moment."

Buffy snorted sardonically and replied, "That would be because she was unconscious up until the moment of escape. The rest of them were awake. All of them except for the German girl, Gisela, and Hermione seem pretty well considering what they've been through. Hermione's…lost it. And the other girl is very disoriented and confused. I'm not sure she'll be remembering things very well any time soon. Plus, Madam Pomfrey tells me she's got a few fractured bones in her face."

"Ouch," Spike noted, wincing in sympathy. Then he turned his face to Buffy and asked, "What in the bloody hell happened to that boy? Did you ever find out why he was brought here? Where does he fit in all this? I hear he came with them."

"From the little bit Aidan's told me, he had gone to the Malfoy boy's house to see if he could, I don't know, beat some information out of him since the boy's family is in league with Voldemort. Then the phoenix shows up and both the boys figure out how to get the girls home. I haven't pieced it all together yet. It's not that important right now, anyway," Buffy informed him.

Spike grinned roguishly and remarked, "Beat some information out of him, eh? I knew I liked that boy. Spitfire, that one. Just like his sis."

"Well, Mad-Eye Moody was all for torturing some suspected Death Eaters," Buffy pointed out. "And I mean, _torture._"

"That bloke is just cracked. That's all I'm saying," Spike quipped. "Not that he was wrong though, mind you."

Buffy quirked an eyebrow and reminded him, "Jordan's dad wanted to torture some people too. I seriously think if Jordan had been gone an hour longer he would have thrown the auror code out the window."

Spike shrugged. "Eh, that's understandable. His only daughter had been kidnapped. If it had been the Bit, I woulda been out for blood…in a manner of speaking. All of us would be." He had, of course, been referring to himself and the Scooby Gang.

Buffy didn't answer, though she silently agreed with him. "Wouldn't have mattered anyway. Professor Snape has that truth potion and the American aurors have all those ways to extract the truth from demon-kind without using physical torture. Mr. Firewell just wanted to hurt something, which I can't blame him for. And Moody is just…cracked."

* * *

"Let me go! I need to tell her!" Jordan was screaming. She was trying not to use her physical advantages to make her way to wherever Buffy was. Right now, her parents as well as Madam Pomfrey and her grandmother, were commanding her to stay in bed. 

"Tell who what, honey?" Mrs. Firewell asked, her eyes shining with fear at her daughter's sudden change of mood.

Jordan cursed in frustration and looked around the infirmary. She didn't want to just yell it out loud because she wasn't sure how some of the other girls would have reacted. They were fragile enough as it was, and she was guessing she was the only one who really knew the truth. That is, besides Hermione, who didn't look up to being talkative at the moment.

Her father laid a hand on her shoulder in a futile attempt to calm her down. "Sweetheart, please calm down."

"I'll get calm when I can talk to Buffy. Where the hell is she?" Jordan snapped.

"Can't you just tell us?" her mother queried. "We can then give the information to Buffy."

Jordan had been about to do just that when Faith approached. She called the woman over, grabbing her arm when she got close enough.

"Tell Buffy it was Drusilla," she said, almost hysterically. She didn't notice her parents gasp in horror.

"What?" the dark-haired Slayer asked in confusion.

Jordan drew in a deep breath to calm herself down. She couldn't believe she had forgotten this when Buffy had first stopped by to check on her. The girl was just having a hard time trying to download everything that had happened while she had been out of it; it must have slipped her mind. Of all the things she would forget to tell Buffy, it had to be this one.

"It was Drusilla," she repeated in the same frantic tone of voice, only quieter. "She's still got the other girls. She's to thank for the fingernail-sized wounds on my neck." Saying the last part, Jordan had pointed gratuitously to her neck.

"You mean the crazy-assed bitch who dated Spike?" Faith asked.

"Yes! I mean the crazy-assed bitch who is not just crazy, but straight-up fucking sadistic! _And_ has really sharp nails!" Jordan clarified, her eyes glowing wildly.

Mrs. Firewell must have obviously been so thunderstruck and horrified by this news, for she didn't bother to scold her daughter for her uncouth language. This new information brought an entirely new dimension to the war. If it had indeed been this vampire, who was very powerful, and—as her daughter asserted colorfully—very mad, then the damage to their side went far deeper than suspected. It was a very strong indication of just who Voldemort had managed to ensnare for an ally. And if he got her, then there was a high likelihood he had snagged other master dark creatures already.

"Oh…shit," Faith cursed after the significance finally hit her.

* * *

"Buffy!" 

Buffy snapped up to stand straight on her feet. Faith was running towards her, with a new type of expression on her face. Her dark brown eyes flew to Spike when she stopped in front of the two. Buffy did not like the look she saw in her comrade's eyes. It looked like Faith had just learned something new, something that was supremely disconcerting.

"We have a problem," she began.

"No shit, Femme Fatale. Which problem has you all hot and bothered all of a sudden?" Spike drawled, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Look, Jordan was trying to get out here to tell you personally. She had forgotten about it at first, but she was going nuts in there about it. She told me who had them. Looks like Voldy's got a new ally…an ally we definitely don't want him having," Faith told them.

She stopped for a moment with another odd look at Spike. Taking a deep breath, she finally gave them the name the two were waiting for.

"It's Drusilla."

* * *

Translations are as follows:

"Qu'est-ce qui lui arrive?"  
What is wrong with her?

"Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire?"  
What are you going to do?

"Qu'est-ce qu'on peut faire?"  
What should we do?

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. Your support is greatly appreciated! I've just been alerted by a very nice reviewer, who is **anonymous**, that we are not allowed to post review responses anymore. I think this is very unnecessary and wrong of but, I suppose I must comply. If you have something extremely pressing, request for a reply via new method.

I'll still recognize those who reviewed, and can just deal with it. Thanks to: **cbrownjc, bridget, Chaotic reign, Pottersgurl07, ****JellyFish72, ****Masau, ****Vld, ****thefirstphoenix, ****Wanderingsoul24, CharmedChick**, **Kat (loveorthelackthereof)**, **gpilot96**, **Lola**, **tan xie li**, **seirra**, **pain cookies**, **demondude12**, **APS**, and **chunky-01.**

Again, I'm very sorry I kept you all waiting so long. I'll try harder now that my muse seems to have returned. The ideas she's feeding me are disturbing, but I'm afraid of angering her for fear she'll leave again.

By the way, has anyone seen Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? I saw it last weekend. I wish there could have been more Sirius, but I was so happy there was a lot more of the Weasley Twins. And weren't Cedric and Krum smokin', girls?


End file.
